Und-her the dress
by Renegade2083
Summary: She's young, she's pretty, she's famous... She's a model. She loves the world and she loves her image. She meets a woman, a rock-star who looks nothing like her but somehow, she feels attracted to her like a magnet for better, or for worse. [Lightning - Fang] Rated M for explicit content, strong language. Please warn me if I made any mistakes! English ain't my first language! xo
1. Chapter 1

'Stop there. Do this. Smile. Spread your legs just a little more. Smile, smile like you mean it!'

Working was hectic, there was no other way to put it. It might have seemed easy to someone else, but truth was it wasn't. It was tiring, long, physical, and when you never ate, the weakness was overpowering, draining even at some points. But she enjoyed it, and if she liked it, why would she stop?

Cameras flashing in a bright white room, people's eyes on her, smiling and impressed by how she looked, what couldn't she possibly love? She loved it all and hated it just the same.

'Okay! We got the shots. Go and fetch the other dress.'

Maybe _this_ was what she hated. The dog-like attitude. For all she knew, she was one of the most beautiful woman in the world, and one of the most famous one. She wasn't a dog. No. She was a _model_. She was famous, they weren't. She wasn't a fucking dog. And _he_ was the last person allowed to address to her as if.

'Can you ask again, and this time not treating me like a someone else, or like I'm the dog you're trying to train' she therefore asked with a dazzling though fake smile

'Needy,' he answered with a roll of his eyes. 'Can you _please_ go put on the other dress… _princess?'_

She faked a smile at the man, fighting not to glare at him. After all he was the reason she looked like this in her pictures. But the hatred she felt towards him sometimes hit the roof. Where was the respect she needed? Did he think that because she had been modeling for a few years meant she was completely stupid?

She sighed at his remarks and with a wave of the hand, exited the room. She walked through the hallway lighted by neon lights and entered her private room, her eyes immediately falling to the stunning dress she would have the pleasure to slip into. Smiling at its sight and feeling a wave of emotion brushing her heart, she bounced towards the outfit with shimmering eyes and slipped out of the skinny jeans and pink shirt fitting her so well.

At twenty years old, everything fitted her and that, Lightning Farron knew it. Modeling since the age of eight for the notorious brand Burberry, she decided at the age of sixteen and after finishing high-school with regards, to pursue her career and to give her undivided attention. Studies could wait when you had the world at your feet.

Fully undressed, Lightning snatched the matching pair of underwear that had been placed over the dress and quickly hooked the bra and slid into the pink pair of panties, eyes immediately gazing at her own reflection in the three-feet long mirror her dressing-room possessed. Shortly after, she slipped inside the dress and gazed a longer time at her reflection, her hands pressed against her hips.

Pushing her pink-colored hair away from her eyes, she gazed at the blue intense color shimmering from them, her index finger already touching the contour of her strong jaw. Her nose was thin and small, and her lips were full, ready to be kissed. Tall and thin, Lightning considered herself to be one of the most beautiful woman, and she knew that people were thinking the exact same thing.

'Light? We're ready for you,' she heard from behind, glancing over her shoulder to look at her faithful assistant, Sasha.

'Yep, I'm ready! This is getting long, I could use a coffee after this.'

'You sister called,' Sasha said entering the room and closing the door back behind, 'she wants to know if you're still coming to dinner tonight, and Amy wants to see you soon because she wants to _get fucking wasted_.'

Snorting, Lightning grabbed the papers handed in her direction. Reading the words, she provided a soft and truthful smile before handing it back to the woman. She gazed a few moments inside her hazel-golden-like eyes and pushed a few flicks from her hair to observe her facial features. Sasha was a pretty girl, full of life and her shimmering eyes were always a sight for sore eyes. Her eyebrows were thin and matching the color of her burgundy colored hair attached in a strong pony-tail. Thin nose, thin lips, she was one of the prettiest girl she had ever seen.

The only problem with Sasha had been her height. Only 5'4 tall, she had never been able to model and knowing that the requested size had been 5'8, she had left her dream on the doormat but had decided to assist models in their everyday life. She had chosen Lightning, three years ago and had never let go of her. And for that, Lightning was grateful.

'You there Light?'

'Yes,' she said with a smile, 'let's go!'

Grinning to one another, both Lightning and Sasha exited the room, the sound of the never worn high-heels slamming against the tiles of the floor. She entered the same room again and noticed that the chair she had been previously sat in had been removed. She frowned for a few moments before being pulled towards the middle of the room, the makeup artist already adjusting her blush, her hair and tweaking a few things seemingly disturbing her while she gazed at her main-photographer with the same fake smile.

'Alright love, we're going to take a few photos. Smile, play with your arms and hands. Yeah?'

'Yep!'

Grinning, she waited a few more seconds before being left alone in the middle of room and immediately, she began to pose for the camera. Flashing lights here and there, wind in her hair, she suffered through another hour and a half being photographed in every possible position, her thirst quickly rising up as the heat began to intensify in the room. She held on tight, swallowing what was left of her saliva whilst Gregory Aron was taking the pictures for this month's Burberry commercials, always managing to keep on her perfect white smile.

'Alright that's all for today! You can keep everything you tried on today, compliments of Burberry.'

Nodding, Lightning looked at Sasha already waiting with a glass of water in her hands and sighed with relief as she grabbed the plastic container, gulping the entire content on the glass with her eyes to the ceiling. God it felt good so drink after more than five hours in a room.

'The car is waiting outside, in the back alley. Apparently…People are here.'

'People,' she asked with an arched brow, 'let me guess, Paparazzi's?'

'Yeah. A few dozen.'

Shaking her head with disbelief, the young model with the straight pink-colored hair made her way out of the room and back inside the dressing-room, a bag containing the outfits and underwear of the day waiting for her on the makeup table. She snatched the bag as well as her purse before exiting the room, following Sasha towards the back door of the building where a Black Maserati with tainted windows was waiting, the driver already opening the back-passenger door for her to enter.

She smiled in the driver's direction, a woman of fifty years of age with thick dark hair and green unwashed eyes nodding at her sight and waiting for her to be sat before making any kind of move.

Lightning was surrounded by women as a _rule_. Never having appreciated the presence of men in her surroundings, she had made it sure that the people she would be able to chose in her day-to-day life would only be consistent of woman. Going from her driver to her housemaid and to her assistant, everyone knowing where she lived were from the female gender and _never_ would she change that.

'So, you know that tomorrow night are the Grammy awards.'

'Oh right! I completely forgot about those,' Lightning replied with a facepalm, 'I don't even have a date! This is shameful.'

'No, it's not. You said it yourself that you didn't want people to pry on your romantic-life anyway so it's great if you go alone.'

'You won't be there,' she asked with widening eyes, staring back at Sasha.

'Of course, I will. You'll be seated next to me and your agent.'

She wildly grinned at the mention of her agent, her heart suddenly racing between her lungs. To say that Lightning Farron had a crush on her agent was putting it mildly. Though not in love with her, she had always felt an attraction she had never been able to explain. Beautiful, Katherine Klark was a thirty-two-year-old woman with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. Slightly taller than herself, she enjoyed the scent of her hair lingering in the air when penetrating inside her office in Beverly Hills giving to the Pacific Ocean or the touch of her hand when their fingers were grazing. Katherine Klark was without a doubt the woman she craved for.

With a gentle squeeze on her naked knee, Lightning was brought back to reality by an amused Sasha who hadn't missed the reddening chest and cheeks, as well as an increased breathing at the thought of Katherine. But, and with elegance, Lightning pushed the subject away with a wave of her manicured hand.

'So tomorrow at…'

'You have to be there at Six for the photos. It's starts at seven and finishes at Eleven.'

'Please tell me there's alcohol there,' Lightning painfully said.

'Yes, there is.'

She sighed with relief and leaned back on the leather seat. Adjusting her red dress, she brought out a cigarette from the purse placed between her legs and under Sasha's frown, lighted the cigarette with the help of her lighter. Pulling her window slightly down, she blew the smoke away in the air and gazed at the pedestrians walking on Colorado Avenue with their loved ones, enjoying the cool weather of the month of January.

For a few moments, Lightning kept on looking at them all whilst taking drags on her cigarette, her thoughts colliding against the temples. She was happy, and the smile plastered on her face proved it. Ever since a little girl, she had wanted to be on the cover of the magazines, she had wanted to be on the buildings and on everyone's mind. She wanted to be called beautiful, smart and perky, she wanted people to notice her smile and the color of her eyes. And twenty years later, she had succeeded.

Now, Lightning was one of the most well-known models in the _world_ and not only America. She was recognized on the streets and asked for selfies and autographs, she was followed by more than fifty-six million people on Instagram and Twitter, she was praised for her beauty…and hated for it as well.

'Can you turn the radio on please,' she asked her driver without tearing her eyes away from the window.

 _Hate_. Some of the worst things people had told her was still trapped in the back of her brain inside a box she had created. It was hard, sometimes. She had mostly managed to get over it, never taking any insults too seriously until one day, she had read the words she had feared. _I will find your family. I will find you. You will all die._

A shiver ran down her spine as the Pandora box unlocked in her brain, and sharply, Lightning closed her eyes. Feeling a hand landing on her thigh, she slowly grabbed a hold of it and gently, she intertwined their fingers together. Snapping her eyes back open again, she swallowed her tears and gazed at Sasha, the young woman wearing a worried look on her face she managed to make disappear with only her smile.

'Don't worry,' she said with a nod, 'I was just thinking about something. Where are we going by the way?'

'By the sea, Kate wanted to meet with you there,' Sasha said with a smile, Lightning's reaction not going unnoticed.

'Oh! Great!'

Clapping her hangs together after putting the cigarette off, she beamed. Her smile shone in the entire car, the two other women chuckling to themselves at such a pleased reaction. Yes, Lightning was in love with Kate but only _she_ had never seemed to notice it.

* * *

With nothing but her purse around her elbow and her phone at her ear, Lightning exited the Maserati in front of the coffee-bar-restaurant Kate had invited her to meet her. Waiting for the conversation with her sister to be put to an end, and promising her for the fifth time that _yes_ , she would meet her new boyfriend, Lightning had already swept the vicinity with her eagle eyes and hadn't required a long time to spot the blond-haired agent sitting a few tables across from her with a drink already in hand, and a smile on her lips.

Hanging up the phone and shoving it back inside her purse Lightning elegantly walked towards her agent, her heart pounding hard inside her chest who's usually pale color had now turned into a first shade of red only getting stronger as they both locked eyes.

Kate and Lightning had met five years ago. Still in high-school, Lightning had only agreed to a few photoshoots, not wanting to endanger her grades but had at the age of sixteen, agreed to become a full-time model. The first time she had seen Kate, her heart had immediately skipped a beat. She had been attracted to her like bees on honey, and the attraction had grown bigger the second she had turned the age of eighteen. They were friends and confidents, they were there to talk about their problems and to help each other out.

They smiled and when Kate was on her feet to greet her, Lightning caved. Blushing, she plunged inside the arms of her agent, the older woman already chuckling.

'You seem to be going alright,' Kate said pulling away to gaze at Lightning, a hand on each of her shoulders.

'I am! We finished the Burberry shots so that's a relief,' Lightning said as she sat down, legs already crossed. 'How are you Kate? What's going on?'

She had spoken so fast that even she hadn't been able to understand her own words. Taking in a deep breath under Kate's amused gaze, Lightning smiled.

'How are you,' she repeated once more.

'I'm fantastic honey. Take a look at those, and you'll see why.'

Arching a brow as Kate brought out a folder from her purse, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the pictures that had been taken two days ago for Louis Vuitton, a bright smile already spreading on her face. Sucking the cool air in her lungs, she delicately pushed the pictures apart and felt her smile brightening even more, her eyes shining with a sense of pride and happiness.

The pictures were gorgeous, there was no other way to put it. Highlighting her facial features, the different outfits she had worn for the photoshoot perfectly fitted the curves of her body. Her long thin legs supported by different pair of shoes seemed even longer and thinner, and her breast was surprisingly popping out of the dark-blue dress she had worn. Her smile was dazzling on each of the pictures and her look was steady. Passing the next few pictures, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. There it was, the last picture printed on a fashion Magazine she had given an interview to a week prior, a picture where she was laughing with her hands in her hair.

'This is why I'm fantastic,' Kate said pointing at the cover, 'it's excellent. You're amazing on the picture and the interview you gave is spot-on. Well done Light.'

Giggling to herself, she lifted her gaze up to meet with Kate's and in silence, the two women smiled.

'What can I get you?'

'She'll have a Martini,' Kate interjected without tearing her eyes away from the woman sitting before her eyes, 'don't forget the olive.' Keeping her stare on the pink-headed girl, Kate smiled more. 'And I have something else to tell you about.'

Lightning's brows went a degree higher, observing Kate pulling out a paper from her purse. Handing out her hand to reach out for the paper, a shiver rolled down her spine as their fingers touched, the blush on her cheeks being brought back to life. She ignored the warmth spreading on her face, her attention immediately being brought to the paper, desperately trying to get rid of the tingling sensation between her legs. _Idiot, stop it._ Clearing her throat, she read.

 _Dear Miss Farron,_

 _We have the pleasure to inform you that Fangoff has received your video and has accepted your application for the video clip of 'A little too late'. The band is thrilled to be working in your company. Your presence is required on the 30_ _th_ _of January in West-Hollywood…_

Lifting her gaze up again, Lightning cocked her head to the side. She had no clue what any of this meant.

'Alright. Do you remember the video we shot a few months ago? When you wanted to be in a video clip?'

'Uh, vaguely yes?'

'Well I took the liberty to send it to a few bands. And this one wants you.'

'Wait…what?'

Kate laughed, and Lightning frowned. Crossing her arms on her chest, she gazed at the waited coming back their way with the Martini on a tray, one single green olive in the alcohol. Placing the glass on the table, the man immediately left the premises but gazed over her shoulder to look at the model he had recognized.

'You're going to be in a video-clip honey, that's what I'm saying,' Kate said as her cool came back, 'you'll be _everywhere.'_

It hit Lightning in the heart like a punch in her stomach. All the wires in her brain suddenly light on, and the realization of what it meant struck her like a dagger. She would be on television. She would have all eyes on her. She would be even more known thanks to a band she had never heard of and didn't care to hear.

'You're shitting me,' she blurted out, 'you're actually shitting me Kate.'

'I shit you not,' she quipped, 'really not honey.'

Bringing her hands on her mouth to cover her gawk, Lightning's eyes filled with tears. Tears of joy, of excitement, of pleasure she repressed by looking at the blue unclouded sky, the blue color of her eyes brightening with the rays of the sun. Kate only observed, a cigarette now dangling between her fingers. She sipped on her vodka-on-ice with a watchful eye, thrilled by her client's reaction. She was positively beaming.

'I hope you're ready because this isn't the same as modeling,' Kate warned her after a puff, 'you'll have to be physically ready.'

'How the hell am I supposed to do that,' Lightning said in all seriousness, 'I do yoga and Krav Maga but will it be enough?'

'I can always help you shape up,' Kate offered with a smirk, 'I have a few technics that might help you.'

Swallowing, Lightning crossed her legs harder. Letting the words of her agent go around her entire brain as she grabbed the olive in her Martini, she smirked in return. Placing the olive between her teeth and pulling on the plastic stick, she ate in silence as the two women both gazed at each other, lust in their eyes.

Heartbeat increasing, palm starting to sweat, Lightning gazed away as her chest began to burn. What was it with that woman? How was she capable to trigger such a strong reaction on her brain and body? To make her crave for her skin, her touch, her passion? All she knew was that looking inside her eyes was simply enough to make her knees cave, and now that she had added the flirtatious side, Lightning felt her brain exploding.

'You know where I live,' she finally answered, 'maybe after the Grammy's tomorrow?'

'Wonderful idea.'

They clicked their glasses together, and her brain caved.

* * *

Standing in front of her sister's door, Lightning could already hear a few voices coming from the garden. Female and male, she knew that more people had been invited to what she had believed to only be a simple dinner and the thought displeased her. She did not mind parties and was known to throw exceptional ones but when she was in control, she was the one deciding who could come or not. And right now, she had no idea who or what to expect behind the door.

Taking in a deep breath, she decided to wait a bit longer before stepping inside the house. Placing a cigarette between her lips, she took a few steps back from the entrance and walked towards the road with a frown, the smoke rising in the air. It wasn't long until her cellphone rang in her purse, her hand already searching for the object under her makeup, cigarettes and keys until finally she found it. Looking at the texts she had received, Lightning decided to ignore them all, simply pressing on her Instagram application. _Sixty-five more followers… Wow. Six million likes._ Opening wide eyes, she pressed on the photo she had pressed, her agent's smile immediately bringing one to her face.

It really was a cool picture. They had taken it before going their separate ways, the two of them holding a glass and wearing a smile. Sighing, she read a few of the comments as she turned around on her heels, the cigarette landing on the pavement.

Looking at the ground and climbing the few stairs leading her back to the house, Lightning sucked in the air between her lungs and with a hesitant hand, pressed on the doorbell ringing throughout the entire house. She listened at the voice rising in the air, the one of sister louder than anyone else's.

'Light! I'm so happy you're here,' she loudly said as she opened the door.

Chuckling, Lightning received a hug from her sister and pulled out after a few seconds. Intensively looking at Serah, Lightning could see how happy she was. Smiling, her blue eyes were bright and full of life. Her pink colored hair was attached in one single braid falling on her right shoulder, bringing out the lines of her face. She looked absolutely stunning.

'Sorry, I meant to tell you there would be more people than planned…'

'It's fine. As long as no one's ogling me like a piece of meat, I should be okay,' Lightning answered with a wink.

Penetrating inside the reasonable sized house, Lightning smiled at the furniture that hadn't changed. On her left was the same living-room, the same leather couch and a slightly bigger television, a coffee table covered with magazines spread across the glass, a dark-red rug placed beneath it. Pictures and paintings on the walls, she focused her attention on a photograph of them both and smiled at the memory.

Walking on the wooden-ground, she brought out a bottle of red wine from her purse and waved it in her sister's direction as the younger woman turned around.

'Oh thanks! Alright. Let's meet the click.'

'The click?'

'Yep! It's people from University. You'll see, they're lovely,' Serah chirped, her hand wrapping around Lightning's wrist. 'Guys this is my sister, Lightning!'

It took only a step out in the garden for Lightning to feel observed. The conversations around her ended and six pair of eyes were now locked with hers. Two boys and four girls, Lightning first wondered which of the two males had conquered her sister's heart, but as she continued to scan, she stopped breathing. One of the girls was looking at her with a smile, and that smile said everything.

Clearing her throat, she came closer to the _click_ regrouping in one spot and without tearing her eyes away from that one woman, Lightning said 'Hiya, nice to meet you.'

'Nice to meet you too. I'm Skyler. But everyone just calls me Lebreau.'

Her voice was sensual, and her accent an indicator of her whereabouts. _New-York_ , Lightning thought, _why am I not surprised_. Keeping her focus on _Lebreau_ , she scrutinized her. Wearing nothing but a white t-shirt with the word _SUCK IT_ written in black capital letter and a pair of dark jeans, Lightning's eyes wandered to her eyes to take in the brown color, to her lips to measure the size and finally fell on her breasts. She snickered and turned her gaze on the rest of the _click_.

'Light, this is Cassie, Julia, Emma, Gadot and…Snow. My boyfriend.'

'Hi,' the blond-haired man said with a small wave of the hand, 'it's lovely to meet you.'

'We'll see about that,' Lightning said back, 'we…will see.'

The gargantuan man called Gadot let out a laugh, Lebreau quickly following in his footsteps. Drawing her attention back on the brunette, Lightning gave her a charming smile and without a word, left the room to find the toilet. On her way to the bathroom, Lightning was unable to hide her smile. How she liked to please people was beyond her control, and when pretty girls were in the slot, her intentions were crystal clear.

It was no surprise to the world that Lightning had a thing for the same gender as her own. Not feeling the need to hide it, her Wikipedia Page had been clear enough to warn everyone who she had once dated, and who she had been seen with. And all of them, had been girls. Women were, in her opinion, the top of the line. Women were kind and beautiful, their skin was soft, and her breasts were a delight to hold whereas men never made her feel any kind of sexual want. She hated the touch of their hands groping on her like a pillow, she hated their smell, she hated their wandering eyes filled with promiscuity. And moreover, never had she been so bored than when she had lost her virginity, men only interested in one thing: getting it in and getting it out.

So, she had at the age of seventeen decided to make her come-out known to the world with her ex-girlfriend, with whom she had shared her life until only six months ago. They had been seen together, followed, photographed and the fact Lightning was a lesbian was simply out in the open for better or for worse because of course, idiots and haters were always waiting for her in the corner, throwing homophobic comments that had only made her _laugh_.

'Light? You okay?'

Realizing she had been standing for more than five minutes in the bathroom only staring at the void, Lightning unlocked the door and pulled it to the side, observing her sister's concerned gaze.

'Yes, sorry. I spaced-out for a bit. I just want to refresh myself,' she said tapping on her purse, 'but I'm all good now!'

'You don't need to refresh. I think you've made quite an impression on Lebreau, she kept mentioning you.'

'Oh,' Lightning pleasingly asked, 'and what did she say?'

'That you were beautiful and that she hoped to talk to you during the evening. So…make of that what you will,' Serah teased with a wink.

Exiting the bathroom, Lightning closely followed her younger sister down the hallway, glancing at other pictures nailed to the wall before going back to the garden, Lebreau already sauntering in her direction with two glasses of wine, one in each hand. Smirking at her sight, she silently grabbed the red wine but wondered how they had managed to get alcohol so easily. After all this _was_ America, and for all she knew, Serah was only eighteen.

'I'm twenty-three,' Lebreau as if she had read inside her mind, 'and red wine is my favorite.'

'You have good taste,' she said taking a first sip, 'and what do you do?'

'I'm helping your sister out for her studies actually, they like to fix first years with five years.'

'So you're studying business,' Lightning asked taking a seat on a chair. Making sure her dress wouldn't how her thong, she placed the glass on the table and readjusted her outfit.

'I'm a psychology major actually.'

'That must be interesting. Psychologist or psychiatrist,' she asked with her glass back in her palm.

'Psychologist. I'm done in three weeks.'

Looking at Skyler with a smile, she brought her glass to her lips without breaking the eye-contact making her knees quiver. Gasping with pleasure, she brought her packet of cigarettes out of her purse and offered her one in silence, watching her fingers reaching out for the cigarette.

With her cigarette between her lips, Lightning was surprised when a hand holding a lighter came closer to her face, the flame burning before her eyes. She inhaled the smoke and exhaled it through her nose, her thumb landing between her teeth.

'I've got to say I was surprised that Serah was your sister. She doesn't have the same last name, does she?'

'Hm, no. I go with Farron, my father's name. She goes with Duboix, my mother's.'

'French?'

'Canadian', Lightning said, 'Toronto.' She picked up her glass again, gazing at the different people standing near the pool. 'Do you know any of them?'

'Snow yeah. He's my age.'

Opening wide eyes and letting her jaw fall on the ground, Lightning stared at Snow. Scowling in his direction, she cracked her neck and clenched her fists, puffing on her cigarette. The idea of her sister dating someone five years older than her disgusted her, and her protection instinct was suddenly hitting the roof.

'Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that, hm?'

Gazing back at Lebreau with a dark look, Lightning waved a hand in the air. 'No, it's fine. He better be careful, it's all.'

Skyler heartily laughed at the comment, and suddenly, all the anger flew off Lightning's body. She simply listened to the sound with a spark in her eyes, observing how her face changed when a smile was on. Coming here hadn't been a bad idea after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I've been kinda having a hard time in my personal life this past few days and I started writing this because I needed to bring out some fun out of a stupid situation. Of course, Modeling has absolutely nothing to do with my life. I know it may look weird for Lightning to be this outgoing, but i wanted to have a character that enjoyed life.**

 **Thanks!**

* * *

Entangled in white silk sheets and feeling a cool breeze on the nape of her neck hadn't been the only highlight of an extremely good morning. The best fact about it had been the young woman, slightly older than herself, spooning her from the back and brushing the side of her hip with graceful hands, the touch starting a fire of uncontrollable desire. She had let the fingers wander around her hips and down her spine, the small traces of fingernails that had been marked on her upper-back and shoulder now having disappeared.

Sighing and stretching on bed, Lightning turned around with a smile on her face, hair covering her blue eyes that Skyler softly pushed away. She dug her stare in her own, and lifting her by the chin, placed a sweet kiss on her lips before pulling back, her head in her hand, elbowing against the mattress.

'You're even prettier in the morning,' Skyler said after disposing another kiss on her lips, 'like that's possible.'

'Please, I have no makeup, my hair's a mess… I look awful!'

She hid behind her hands as a blush crept its way up her cheeks, spreading her fingers over her eyes to look at the laughing woman laid naked on her bed. It was a beautiful sight.

'You look amazing and you know it Lightning.'

She gently pushed her shoulder but before being able to do anything at all, Lebreau had seized both of her wrists in her hands, holding her down on the bed while she climbed atop of her nakedness. Faking a resistance, Lightning fell head over heels as she kissed her again, shutting up any comment she had wanted to make and fiercely kissed her in return, moaning in pleasure-pain as Lebreau bit her lower lip.

She backed her hips between Lebreau's legs and smirked as she felt her wetness, her tongue licking her lips at the sensation. But it seemed that this morning, control would not be in her hands. Lebreau wanted control, and Lightning was ready to relinquish command. Ducking her head as Skyler began to leave a trail of kisses from her neck to her lower-stomach, Lightning felt her skin burning, her head suddenly feeling dizzy with lust.

'Hm, well. Did you have some sweet dreams there?'

She blushed at the comment, utterly aware of her morning turns-on. Anything could slide in her the minute she woke up and being caught on the act had somehow managed to make her uncomfortable. Gazing away, she only bit her lip as fingers touched her warm, swollen flower, a deep moan escaping her throat as two fingers forcefully made their ways between her legs. Deep and hard, she spread her legs to give Skyler more space, a hand landing around her thigh as a tongue joined the party.

Her breath increased and sweat had already started to form in the shape of her eyebrows. Placing her hand over Lebreau's head, she rolled her fingers between her hair and breathed in, panting louder and louder until the worst possible thing happened. And that thing, was someone called Sasha.

'Hey Light I brought…'

Flinching on the mattress, Lightning closed her legs and lifted her body up to cover up her breast, staring at her assistant standing straight as an arrow under the frame of the door.

'I brought…'

'Sasha, please leave,' Lightning muttered under her breath, the color of her face now matching the one of her most beautiful dress. 'Please.'

'Yep, yep!'

Waiting for the door to slam back, Lightning's only reflex was to roll on her stomach and hide in her pillow. Actually, leaving her room was now out of the question. Listening, she heard Lebreau's chuckle, raw and throaty, and sharply, Lightning threw a glare in her direction.

This was beyond embarrassing. Sure, she had known Sasha for a long time and she knew that sometimes, she enjoyed bringing somebody home for her private affairs, but never had she seen her in the middle of the act. She had seen her naked, she had seen her after-sex, but right in the middle of sex, that had been a first. An embarrassing, shameful, first.

'What are you laughing at,' Lightning mumbled.

'Oh come on. It's not like I was fucking you with a dildo!'

' _Sure_ , but it's not amusing me.'

Sighing, Lightning sat back on the bed and with her arm, covered her naked breasts. Scanning the room, she searched for her anything to cover herself up before exiting the bedroom but was quickly pulled back for another deep kiss. And even though thinking about it, Lightning didn't fight. She let Lebreau's lips invade her own, she let her tongue touch her own, their nose touching at the tip.

It made her smile. It made her happy to be treated like a person and not like an object. She was simply _fucking_ happy. 'Hm, I gotta go see Sasha. See what she wants.'

'Your assistant,' Lebreau asked kissing her neck.

'Hm, yeah. Friend mostly, but assistant.'

'Alright… Mind if I take a shower?'

'Go ahead!'

Kissing her one last time, Lightning stood up from the bed and grabbed the robe hanging on the back of her door. Closing it, she exited the room with a little wave and an awkward smile and quickly, she went down the stairs of her two-story house with a hand on the guardrail, humming with delight.

Landing on the ground-floor of the house, Lightning immediately smelt the scent of coffee invading the massive living-room and followed the scent all the way to the opened-kitchen. Gazing at Sasha looking at every corner of the room, Lightning combed her messy hair wait her hand and quickly attached them in a bun on top of her hair, a few brands falling over her eyes.

'Well,' Lightning said to break the silence, 'next time…knock?'

'Yep, yep… I will, yep.'

'Was it that awful,' she asked as their eyes locked.

'Light you know I'm as gay as they come, it wasn't awful. It was…A turn-on.' Sasha awkwardly smiled and this time, it was her turn to blush. 'Anyway! Check this out.'

Flinching at the sound of something hitting the counter, Lightning lowered her gazed and positively beamed at the sight of her own picture on the cover of a well-known fashion Magazine called _Glamour_. With the same smile, she opened the magazine until finding the interview she had given and with undivided attention, she began to read.

 _Every world has a favorite. Every restaurant has the best chef, and every movie has the best actor. Lightning Farron, a twenty-year-old model has climbed her way to the top of the Fashion World, and today, she's here to answer our questions._

 _ **Interviewer**_ _: Hi, it's really lovely to meet you Miss Farron. Must I point out your dress is looking fantastic?_

 _ **Lightning:**_ _[Giggles] Thank you so much. Burberry is the love of my life I must say. And please, call me Lightning!_

 _ **Interviewer**_ _: Very well Lightning. So, how does it feel to be on the cover soon? Are you excited?_

 _ **Lightning:**_ _I'm… I have no words really. I'm used to being on posters and adds, but this is really a first for me. And I cannot even express how I feel. It's just splendid._

 _ **Interviewer:**_ _I imagine it is! And at such a young age. I know you've modeled younger, and a little bit when you were sixteen. Why did you decide to start again?_

 _ **Lightning:**_ _Well… I was in high-school at the moment and I simply wanted to focus as much as possible on it. I've heard a lot of people judging models, insinuating that they were stupid, and I simply wanted to show that having pictures taken from you wasn't a proof of idiocy. So, I continued high-school until I met Kate and then… Well, here I am._

 _ **Interviewer:**_ _[Laughs] You're absolutely right. And Kate is your agent, Katherine Klark if I'm not mistaken._

 _ **Lightning**_ _: Yes, that's right. Agent and friend. She's an amazing person, I'm so glad I got to be her client._

 _ **Interviewer**_ _: That's great to hear. So, what are your plans for the following weeks, months?_

 _ **Lightning:**_ _Well. I have a lot of shots for Burberry, Gucci, Dior and Chanel, and I heard something about a commercial in the next weeks. So, fingers crossed! [Laughs]_

The interview continued for two more pages, but as tears had started to invade her eyes, Lightning was unable to properly read the words.

 _A fresh and enjoyable woman, Lightning Farron might just conquer the world. It was a pleasure to meet with such a lovely person and we hope that her career will take her at the top of the stairs, leading to the throne she surely deserves. Keep posted on her by following her Instagram account at LightFarronFashion. Thank you again Lightning, you're a ray of sunshine most people surely need._

Tearing her eyes away from the paper, Lightning felt a tear rolling down on her cheeks. She was so happy of the words she had read, so overwhelmed by the nice things she had seen that the emotion was too hard to control. Brushing the tear away, she looked at Sasha whose smile was bigger than her own, as if this had been possible.

'I'm so proud of you Light. But there's something else next…'

'The video-clip?'

'Yes! Kate told me, she sent me a text. She's really excited as well and told me she'd come and help you tonight…Is that still happening with your guest under the shower?'

Rolling her eyes to the heavens, Lightning threw a fake glare in her assistant's direction. But she _had_ a point. Was Lebreau a fling, a one-night stand? Based on the kiss they had exchanged upon leaving the bedroom, she had felt something weird. Usually and when girls were in her house, they left the next morning after a cup of coffee and no kisses were exchanged, let alone letting her grab a shower or let her _fuck_ her one more time. But when Skyler had asked, Lightning hadn't even thought twice about her answer.

Of course, they had spent the entire evening chatting with one another and had hit it off. Lebreau was interesting witty and extremely smart. She had a way with words she had never seen in anyone else.

'I don't know,' she finally answered with a shrug, 'you know me…'

'No strings attached?'

'Basically, yes!' She giggled and grabbed the mug handed to her. 'But like I said, I don't know.'

'Well… she certainly seems to get your motor running,' Sasha teased with a grin.

'That I did!'

Flinching, both Sasha and Lightning gazed at the woman penetrating inside the room with a towel still in her hand, drying her wet hair with a pleased smile. Blushing, Lightning gazed back at the magazine and swallowed a mouthful of her coffee, surprised as she felt a kiss being placed on her neck.

'Well, you're certainly beautiful on that picture.'

'Isn't she, though,' Sasha answered with the same grin, 'hi I'm Sasha, Light's assistant!'

'Skyler Lebreau, pleased to meet you. But yes, she is beautiful.'

Chuckling, Lightning painfully tried to stop the redness from invading her face and chest but the more she tried, the less it seemed to work. She wasn't embarrassed in the slightest, but felt simply overwhelmed by what they were saying, and after reading that article, her emotions were skyrocketing.

Making her way towards the window and pulling it open, Lightning walked on the grass of her garden and slowly, she sat down at the edge of the pool with her coffee still in her hand. This place was her favorite one. She enjoyed it mornings, afternoons and evening, the sun always shining over the clear-colored water of her infinity edge pool. The smell of the fresh-grass and of the flowers planted by her personal gardener invaded her nostrils at any times, and relaxing to take the edge off in her Jacuzzi was most definitely the moment she preferred.

Without looking over her shoulder, she felt a presence sitting down next to her and did not have to gaze to know Lebreau had taken a seat. She didn't mind her presence.

'Light? I placed some papers on the table and the ticket for the Grammys. The car will pick you up at five pm _sharp._ You'll be riding with Kate and I.'

'Alright love! See you tonight then! Kiss kiss!'

'Love you babe.'

She waved without looking, listening to the footsteps on the tiles of the living-room and the door finally closing back. They were alone again. And nervousness somehow crept around her heart. Lightning was an extremely social person. She loved laughing, talking, sharing ideas, sharing problems and even enjoyed a little drama occasionally…when it did not concern her. But there was something about Lebreau that puzzled her. And she didn't enjoy it.

'What time is it actually,' she asked without tearing her eyes away from the pool.

'Hm…Nearly eleven AM.'

'You're kidding!'

Jumping on her feet, Lightning stormed back inside her house. Nearly throwing her coffee on the counter, she snatched the papers Sasha had left for her to read and quickly swept through them. Her heartrate increased, and when she realized that she would be late to a photoshoot on one of the highest roofs of LA, she felt like crying.

'Lebreau I need to hurry! Leave your number I'm so sorry I need to hurry!'

She waved at the woman looking at her with a small smile and within minutes, Lightning was under the shower, shampooing her hair and washing her entire body. Looking at her legs and inner thighs, she made sure that shaving would not be an issue in such a short time but was left with a sigh of relief as not a single hair was coming out of her skin. Quicker, she washed her hair and body away from the different lotions and thirty minutes later Lightning was dried and dressed sitting at the back of the Maserati.

She had texted and warned the photograph that she would be only minutes late and had hated the taste of her own saliva as she had roughly swallowed at the answer. _You better. You might be pretty, but I'm not your slave. Get a move on._ With a cigarette to calm her nerves, she had breathed in and breathed out as hard as possible but nothing had managed to stop her hands from severely shaking.

She hated herself when she couldn't assume her meetings. She hated being late because it showed a lack of professionalism she couldn't stand. After all, how many times had she yelled at Sasha for being late? And now, karma was hitting coming back to hit her right in the face.

'Are you okay, Lightning?'

Surprised, Lightning lifted her gaze up from her phone and glanced at her driver, Grace, who had never said a word. Or maybe she had, she wasn't quite sure.

'Yes, yes I am. Just running late and I'm…nervous. Ashamed maybe?'

'We're nearly here, five minutes tops. I'll try to make it faster for you.'

'Thank you…Grace.'

Grace smiled and focused her attention back on the road. Lightning, still sitting at the edge of her seat, puffed on her cigarette and sighed again, rubbing her forehead to diminish the headache making its way through her brain. Glancing at her purse, she single-handedly grabbed the box of pills she had previously snatched from her drawer and shoved a pill on her tongue. With a quick move, she swallowed the pill whole and winced at the unpleasant sensation.

Seconds later, the car stopped, and Lightning was in and out of the Maserati. She ignored the few paparazzi's calling for her name but still smiled to herself as she walked. She looked at Sasha waiting for her in front of the door and the look on her face was one she had never seen before. Sasha looked _displeased._

'You're late.'

'I know, I know. Let's go, quickly.'

'Okay.' They entered the building and waited for the elevator in silence until Sasha spoke up again. 'You know it's almost nude, don't you?'

'I know. And I know I have a veto if I change my mind. A week to think about it, I think.'

'Yes.'

She winced at her tone. Sasha really seemed angry, and she hated it. Glancing in her direction, the cute burgundy-haired woman glared in her direction before darting away. She was worse than angry, really. Sasha was _disappointed._

'I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't know it was that late…'

'It's fine. I just got yelled at by the photographer. He's the one I'm angry with, not you.'

'That same dickhead again,' Lightning asked.

Unexpectedly, Sasha burst out of laughter and quickly, Lightning joined in. They both whipped tears away from their cheeks and hopping that her makeup hadn't been completely ruined, Lightning exited the elevator and found herself on the fifty eighth floor with the sun already on her face. She smiled at the feeling but dropped any kind of happiness at the sight of Gregory advancing in her direction.

And Gregory looked fucking pissed off.

'You're late,' he said pointing at her chest, 'go get your hair and makeup done and then strip. I don't want to hear a word.'

Nodding and repressing her rage, Lightning sharply made her way towards the makeup artist and sat down on the chair with a glimpse of anger shimmering from her eyes, Taking in deep breaths, Lightning managed to find her inner-peace as she felt the brush grazing her face, her hair being curled.

This was new and unexpected, but she had faith in the choice. After all it was a tad windy, and curls might highlight her face.

'Open your mouth.'

'You know I don't,' Lightning teased with a grin.

Laura giggled at the answer and slowly, she applied the lipstick on Lightning's lips.

'All done, now you can undress!'

'Can't wait for that!'

'Oh come on, you'll look _stunning_.'

Lightning smiled in her direction and slowly, she stood up from the chair and unbuttoned her pink shirt. Soon enough, she was standing with only skin-colored panties covering her private area, her arms spread and her heart facing the city.

* * *

'You ready?'

'When am I not,' Lightning teased, sipping on her Champagne.

'Well a lot is going to happen tonight, won't it?'

Sasha sank on her seat. Observing both Katherine and Lightning flirting had been amusing for the past years but seeing them giving each other the lusty eye was more uncomfortable than she would've believed. She wanted to disappear in the ground, to go away from the limousine, the run towards the Grammys. She wanted to be anywhere, but here.

'Well it all depends on how the night will go, right?'

Lightning's voice was filled with sexuality. It was erotic and turning her on. She hated the feeling. She had a girlfriend, and a girlfriend she wanted to propose to. But after seeing her naked on the bed with a gorgeous woman between her legs, Sasha had been envious. Envious to be between those legs, to grab them and lick them. To bite the tender skin and slide her fingers between… _No, don't go there._

'Everything will be just fine… And, I didn't warn you. Fang, the leader of the group will be there. She's been meaning to see you to talk about the contract.'

'Oh? Should I be expecting something…strange?'

Indeed, Sasha noticed the look on Kate's face. She had seemed displeased and somehow disgusted at the mention of the Band leader's name. Something churning inside her stomach.

'No, not really. Let's say that Fang isn't like you. She's not the stylish woman wearing designer clothes. She's a rock-star, like. As in… _Rock-star._ '

'What do you mean Kate?'

'She's…Messy.'

'I'm sure I can look above that.'

'She's sarcastic. Flirty. A bit too much.

Sasha arched a brow. Since when didn't Lightning like a sarcastic person? Since when didn't she like flirty, even if it was a bit too much? She was puzzled.

'I'll be okay Kate! Don't worry.'

It hit her like a knife. Based on Kate's face, what bothered her was that Lightning might like _Fang_ just a little bit too much. Extremely so, to put it mildly. What annoyed her was that Fang might become Lightning's favorite crush. And based on the look in her eyes, she knew it would happen. And somehow, Kate was terrified.

* * *

Pictures were taken on the red carpet, people had called for her name, people had wanted a picture, people had wanted an autograph. She had given them everything and with a bright smile. Lightning loved the spotlight, and this wasn't a surprise to anyone.

She had sometimes stolen a glance in Kate's direction, she had blushed when their eyes had locked, or their hands had touched. She had felt weak when she had grabbed her by the waist for a picture but had managed to stand straight on her 3 inches long high-heels without falling to the ground, holding her inner thighs tight. She had been stronger than she had ever believed she would be.

They had entered the room with their eyes looking everywhere and it had been oh so too much for Lightning to enjoy. She liked shining objects, she loved diamonds, but _this_ had simply been far too much for such an event. She had thought that the fashion show in New-York had been a bit excessive, but to stand in the middle of a vast room filled with table shaped in a circle had been the tip of the iceberg.

Managing to keep a straight face as she approached their table in the center of the main-room, Lightning gazed at the few people she recognized. She saw Taylor Swift sitting next to Katy Perry, surprised to see them together as the hate they had spread throughout social media had been a storm-like event, she was amazed to see John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, smiling at the recollection of some of her most famous tweets. She was annoyed to see Chris Brown and Kanye West, men she despised. But mostly, she was utterly surprised to be seated next to Fang Yun, the woman she had been asked to appear in her video clip.

Frowning, she sat down on the chair after Kate had pulled it and pushed it, throwing an appreciative smile in her direction as she took a seat next to her.

'You okay Light?'

'Oh yes! Just a bit overwhelmed. I could use a drink.'

'Ha, ya and me both!'

Casting a glance to her left, Lightning observed a tall tanned dark-haired woman smirking in her direction and was unable to find the right words. She was even unable to word anything anymore, amazed by a beauty she was jealous off.

'I'm sorry,' she said with a wince, 'you are…?'

'This is off to a nice start eh? I'm Fang. As in Fang ya are goin' to work with me?'

Lightning blushed and glared at Kate. _What a nice entrance. You could've warned me._

'Kiddin' sunshine, I didn't know ya either.'

'Oh well, I guess it's fine then', she replied looking back at her, 'it's nice to meet you.'

'Same there. Sorry, I don't know anythin' about fashion so… your name was kinda blurry to me ya know? But my manager was like _get her, she'll bring sunshine to the set_ ,' Fang said imitating an American accent, 'so I thought…let's bring out sunshine, eh?'

Blushing again, Lightning looked inside Fang's green eyes and was mesmerized. She was _so_ beautiful she didn't know if she would be able to cope. Without thinking, she stood up from her chair and went in for a kiss on each cheek, the smell of her perfume making her dizzier than sex itself. And _this_ was impossible.

'Well, I'm gonna get a scotch. Want somethin'?"

'Uh… I'll have a glass of white wine if possible.'

'He, why am I not surprised?'

Lightning frowned at the comment but quickly remembered what Kate had warned her about. Fang was sarcastic and enjoyed using it to make people uncomfortable. Therefore, she managed to get rid of her frown and replaced it with a smile, bright and shiny.

Watching the woman walking away from their table, Lightning took a good look on how she behaved. Stopping to chat with a few artists, the white blouse she was wearing was perfectly fitting her. Shoved inside her black jeans that were shoved inside black boots, she did look like a rock-star, but in a good way. She looked fantastic, and Lightning enjoyed every of her moves. She enjoyed the wave of her hips, she enjoyed the bouncing of her ass. She loved it _all._

Feeling a hand landing on her knee, Lightning was surprised. Sharply, she turned her gaze back to Kate, her agent looking at her with a different look on her face. She tried to understand, tried to see what she had been doing wrong but decided to brush it away as her own hand landed on top of hers, her cheeks burning like a Firestarter.

'You're cute when you're blushing.'

'I am not! Shut up!'

'You are but like I said, you're cute.'

Softly punching her on the shoulder, both Kate and Lightning giggled. Looking at one another, Lightning did not realize when a glass landed next to her plate, too focused in looking inside those deep dark-blue eyes. They were breath-taking after all.

'Cheers eh? We'll still need to chat 'bout the clip but… I wouldn't want to interrupt ya with your girlfriend.'

'She's not my girlfriend,' Lightning blurted out as she gazed at Fang, 'and whenever you want!'

'Great. Because basically ya and I will kinda…make out. It's a sexual song.'

'It's a what?'

Dumbfounded, Lightning was only able to stare at Fang. Had she really said that, or had she heard wrong? She couldn't say but based on Fang's smirk she quickly understood would be a trademark, Lightning knew she hadn't misheard anything. The video-clip would be made of them making-out and it made her heart run wild.

'Sexual. We won't fake-fuck no worries, just kissin' and makin' out. Guess that's why they wanted ya since ya are…well, I'm sure ya know, no need to have your wings grow bigger eh?'

All she could hear was Kate's breathing. She didn't even bother about the snarky comment. It was intense and hard, and she didn't know where to sit anymore. Looking away in Sasha's direction, her assistant was no help. Trying to hide her chuckle, she exploded into a fit of laughter as their eyes locked and Lightning rejoined her once more. Sasha's laugh was communicative, and right now, laughing about the situation was the best thing to do.

'Ya still in?'

Wiping a tear from her cheek, Lightning slowly brought her attention back to Fang and with a smile, she nodded.

'Yes. After today, I think I'm ready for anything.'

'What happened today?'

'I guess you'll have to find out!'

She giggled under her breath, still deeply looking at Fang. The woman smiled, or more realistically, smirked. She looked like a jerk but it amused Lightning more than she cared to admit, and she couldn't wait to start working with her. She knew that somehow, they would get along, she knew that the chemistry would work just right. Or at least, she hopped...

* * *

The night had been long. So long that even standing up from her chair had been a difficult task. She had listened to new music, she had clapped her hands, she had smiled and chatted with Kate, Sasha, Fang and the rest of the band but throughout the entire time, her mind had been fixated on _one_ simple thing. To get Kate out of her clothes and lie her on her bed with her head between her legs.

After the night had come to an end, Kate, Sasha and Lightning had all been sitting inside the limousine and the moment Sasha had vanished with a simple chuckle, awkwardness had settled inside the car. Lightning had thought about it carefully, wondering if this had been a step in the wrong direction, but with the amount of alcohol in her veins, she somehow hadn't cared. She had looked into her eyes, she had touched her thigh, she had grazed her fingers and her lust had only grown stronger, deeper. She wanted it all.

Still in the car, they both hadn't said a word apart from Lightning who had warned Grace that she could directly drive back to her place without stopping at Kate's. But not once had she gazed at one another. They were both feeling stressed out, and the feeling was being felt in the entire car.

'Lightning,' Grace said as she stopped the engine, 'I'll pick you up at two pm tomorrow as planned.'

'Yes, Thanks you Grace. Drive safely.'

Silently, she exited the car along with Kate. Staggering towards the house, she let out a chuckle as Kate grabbed her by the arm, leading her towards the house with a smile plastered on her face. The situation was amusing yes, but Lightning was in no mood to smile.

'I guess I'll get you into bed and leave, hm?'

'Tsch, you can sleep here,' Lightning said under her breath as she fought to find her keys.

Sighing to herself as she realized her keys had always been in her hands, she slammed them inside the lock and turned three times to the left before pushing it wide open.

Slowly and carefully, she walked inside the living-room and threw her purse on the couch, sighing to herself as her vision seemed to find it difficult to focus on only one object without her head spinning like a rollercoaster. She was drunk, and extremely so.

'Come on, let's get you to bed.'

Lightning did not fight. She walked down the living-room, throwing her heels on the side before climbing up the two flights of stairs with a strong grip wrapped around her arm. She penetrated inside her room and felt being stripped out of her black dress, she felt being pushed to the bed and tucked under the blanket. But what she really remembered was waking up the next morning in a cold and empty bed with one of the worst headaches she had ever felt.


	3. Chapter 3

She had been embarrassed. The next day of celebrating the Grammy awards, Lightning had spent most of her morning on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been an instinct when she had woken up to reach out for the right side of the bed, but when she had realized she was alone and that the sheets weren't warm, she knew Kate hadn't spent the night there. And Lightning had been mortified.

Spending her time sipping on coffee from ten to one in the afternoon, Lightning had managed to push away her thoughts, to obliterate them from her mind but every time her phone had buzzed, she had hoped to see a message from Kate. And every time, it had been Amy.

Amy Kill was her best-friend. They had met more than ten years ago in Toronto and luckily, both of their parents had moved to Los Angeles when they were both thirteen but had met when they were eight. And ever since, they had been through thick and thin. They loved one another as much as they hated each other, their encounter usually starting with a smile and ending with tears. But they knew this, and they had both accepted that their personalities did not always match. Amy, the girl she was supposed to meet in only an hour. The girl she wanted to talk to about her problems, about the things going on in her life. Her friend. Her _best-friend_.

Both of them did not look alike at all. Amy was shorter and wore brown hair down to the end of her back, she had green eyes and was basically as thin as Lightning. She was pretty, but wore an aggressive look most of the time, she smiled when it meant, but pouted when it didn't. She was her opposite, and her contradiction.

Sighing to herself, Lightning brought her fork closer to her lips, enjoying her chicken and curry with a dazzling smile on her face. The spices were of the appropriate amount, the chicken was tender and disintegrating under her tongue, the rice was salty enough and the glass of wine accompanying her meal was needed. She continued eating in silence, placing the food from the tray on her plate and making sure she wouldn't go over the appropriate number of calories for her meal.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, she glanced up at the lock and placed her fork back at the edge of her half-finished plate and slowly, she stood up from the stool.

Making her way towards the couch, she snatched her purse and unplugged her phone from the wall and was out of her house and stepping inside the brand-new Aston Martin with an arched brow. This was new.

'What's with car,' she asked glancing at Grace.

'Kate. She wanted to apologize for yesterday.'

Her brow went five degrees higher at the comment. Sliding her hand on the leather seats, Lightning was unable to figure out what Kate might've apologized for. For all she knew, she had been the one acting like a child, unable to hold her liquor after more than… six drinks.

'Alright,' she muttered under her breath, 'you know where to go?'

'Melrose Avenue?'

'Yes,' Lightning answered with a smile, 'her favorite.'

'Oh I remember Miss Kill. She's a talker that one.'

'Tell me about it,' Lightning said with a snort, 'she's a talking-machine!'

They both chuckled. It was nice to get to know the woman who had drove her around town for a year, it was nice to talk with her for some reason. She enjoyed it a lot, and her laugh was warming. Grace was a fantastic person, full of life and sunshine. She liked her presence a lot.

'What do you think of Amy'?

'She's a sweet girl. She's… different from you. I wouldn't like to drive her around.'

'Oh,' Lightning said with an arched brow, 'why?'

'You're a sweet girl. She is as well but her temper is short. I hear everything in the car Lightning, don't forget that.'

'I guess that's true.'

'Might I pry?'

The question amused her. Tearing her gaze away from the window, Lightning looked at the rear-view mirror and caught a glimpse of Grace's eyes. She nodded at a red light, nibbling on her lip at the impending question.

'Did you and Kate sleep together?'

'No,' she automatically said, 'that's why I don't understand the new car.'

'Well, she handed the keys to me this morning. She said she had crossed a line with you as you are her client, and she wanted to apologize from crossing _that_ line. So, I got curious. Pardon me.'

'Don't apologize Grace. There's nothing to be sorry about, really.'

'Thank you. And we've arrived. Amy is already there. Text me when you want me to pick you up.'

'Thanks Grace. Enjoy your afternoon!'

She was out of the car the next second and with a smile, sauntered towards Amy beaming in her direction. They hugged as if it had been weeks since they had seen each other, they exchanged words of love as if they had been a couple having spent too much time apart.

Breathing in each other's smell as they pulled away from the embrace, Amy was already holding onto Lightning's hand and leading her towards the restaurant without a word. Walking through the restaurant with a few eyes on her, Lightning ignored most of them, the joy spreading through her heart making everyone else seem invisible to her. Finally, she was able to see Amy again.

Sitting down on the chair being pointed in her direction, Lightning breathed in the air of the sea spreading before her eyes. She smiled at the sight and at the scent, a deep sigh escaping her chest.

'Oh my god. Wait let me guess… Dior?'

Gazing at her dress, Lightning nodded and with a wink, the two of them happily laughed.

'And you… Chanel?'

'You've got the right eye,' Amy teased with a wink. 'Now let's get drunk, shall we?'

'I thought you'd never ask!'

Laughing together, Amy stood up from her chair. After placing a kiss on top of her head, she disappeared back inside the restaurant, leaving Lightning alone to gaze at the spreading ocean. Slowly, she placed a cigarette between her lips, her eyes still locked at the infinity before her eyes.

She loved the beach. She loved to feel the sand between her toes, the water brushing her ankles, the ray of the sun beaming and reflecting over the salted sea. Breathing in the smoke of her cigarette between her lungs, she continued staring at the horizon, unaware of Amy's return. She simply kept on looking at the freedom, the eternal infinity. It all felt so peaceful from here.

'So Light,' Amy said clicking her fingers together, 'I want to know _everything_.'

'Everything now,' Lightning answered with a smile, 'how long has been since we saw each other?'

'Hm.' Amy stopped and scratched her chin, a cigarette placed between her lips. 'Two weeks.'

'What! That's _impossible_!'

'Nah. You've been busy with work and I've been busy with my studies…'

Amy fainted a smile and darted away. Right. Sometimes she forgot that it was normal for a twenty-year-old to study. She forgot that it might have been the life she would've led if opportunities hadn't presented themselves to her.

'How's law treating you,' Lightning asked gazing at the waiter bringing two Mojitos to their table, 'everything good?'

'Oh yes. Straight A's. Got a B in Financial Law but oh well.'

'You'll crush it anyway.'

'Right?'

'I fucking know it!'

'Good to see you're still rude.'

'You're one to talk!'

Laughing again, Lightning reached out for Amy's hand. Intertwining their fingers, they both gazed at one another with a truthful smile. It had been a while since they had talked.

'I missed you. I missed you so much' Amy said under her breath.

'Me too. You can't imagine.'

She smiled more. Grabbing her drink with her only free hand, she swallowed a mouthful of the Mojito. Surprised at the intense taste of alcohol, she placed her glass back on the table and grabbed her cigarette back from the ashtray, slowly taking a puff from the noxious stick.

'So,' Amy said, 'tell me. What's up with you and Kate?' Pausing to swallow a mouthful, Amy seemed proud. 'I saw the pictures this morning. So I was…. wondering.'

'Photos?'

Arching a brow, she grabbed Amy's iPhone being handed to her. Scrolling down the screen, she read a few of the articles written about the Grammy Awards until stumbling on a picture of her agent and herself why the sentence _new Hollywood couple?_ Written in capital red letters.

Sighing with disbelief at the invasion of her privacy she would never really get used to, Lightning handed the phone back to Amy and with a sigh, she started to explain what had happened from their meeting near the beach to the Grammy's and the way she left from her house the previous night. Listening to it all whilst sipping on her mojito and puffing on her fag, Amy was looking straight inside Lightning's blue eyes, frowning at some of her details and shaking her head every time her best-friend turned as red as the color of her nails.

Amy did not provide an answer simply because she could not. The age difference between Lightning and her agent might have scared her, maybe seeing that Lightning was young and drunk and _partly_ innocent had made her think about the consequences of her actions. Maybe she had simply thought that fucking her client on a bed while being wasted was a terrible idea and that in the end, they would not work together anymore. Neither of them possessed the answer to some unanswered questions and all Amy could see was the pain in her best-friend's eyes.

'Maybe she'll text you. And plus, you have a new car so…'

'Yeah but I don't care about the car', Lightning snapped, 'I'm not that superficial.'

'It's not what I meant Light, calm down.'

Breathing in, Lightning glanced away at the sea. She knew it. She knew it hadn't been what Amy had meant but she had been used to so many judgments because of her predispositions, everything related to money had always been felt like an attack.

'Sorry,' she said with a sad smile, 'I didn't mean to yell.'

'I know Light.'

She reached out for her hand and gazed back at Amy, knowing all too well that her face had just contorted in pain. Mental pain, not physical of course. Physical pain meant walking on high-heels for fifteen hours straight, and that, Lightning hadn't done for a while.

'Anyway Light. What else is new with you?'

'Well,' she said after a sip of her cocktail, 'I might be in a music video.'

'Shit a brick?'

'No', she said laughing, 'true story.'

'For who? What song? Who's the singer? What the fuck?'

Laughing again, Lightning brought a cigarette from her packet to her lips and puffed on the fag. She darted away at the mention of her name, glancing at a few younger-looking teenagers giggling and jumping up and down on their feet. The moment one of them came closer to them holding the magazine, Lightning knew what she was in for.

Blushing, the cute blond-haired teenager scratched the nape of her neck and after taking a _very_ long breath, she opened up her mouth and her face immediately turned crimson red.

'Hi…hi sorry erm…' slightly smiling at the girl, Lightning sat back straight on her chair. 'You're… Lightning, right?'

'I sure am,' she replied grinning.

'Could you…give me an autograph? On the magazine? Please.'

'Sure thing…'

'Cléo.'

Clearing her throat, she grabbed the pen and magazine from Cléo's hand in her left one and elegantly placed her signature on the cover, adding a few words and her classic _xoxo_. Grinning, she gave the two back to the young girl and after watching her leave, she sighed.

'Oh Light. You'll never cease to make me laugh. But you were about to tell me about the freaking band!'

'Oh right. It's called…Fangoff?' Amy flinched at the mention of the name and her eyes grew wide. 'For a song called…A little too late?'

'O.M.G.'

 _Well, they seem known. Amy knows everything when it comes to music_. Cocking her head, she looked at Amy with a slight smile and observed her pulling out her iPhone again, her hands shaking over the screen. Arching a brow, she gazed down at the phone being pushed in her direction and waited for the music to start.

Surprised to know the first riffs of guitar, she kept her gaze focused on the video-clip essentially made of black and white, a few stains of red sometimes splashing over the screen. She immediately recognized Fang, her dark hair pushed over her shoulder. She was walking down a street, mouthing the lyrics of the song with a smirk drawn on her lips. _She does love that smirk, hm?_

'You're going to be in one of those? For real? Real, real?'

'Yeah…Well I'm meeting her tomorrow to talk about it. But you know, it sounds fun.'

'Well yeah! Plus she's hot…And gay.'

'Why do you even care? You're straight as an arrow!'

'A girl can watch!'

'Oh my god,' she said, 'I haven't told you about this.'

And thus, began the most uncomfortable moment of her life with Amy laughing to the point of falling of her chair. And she laughed too.

After their drink, they had spent the entire afternoon on Rodeo Drive, chattering about the clothes they would see, judging people's outfit walking next to them and buying more clothes, shoes and other items than they needed. She had exited _Chanel_ with a brand-new pair of Sunglasses perfectly framing her face as well as a new dress that had caught her attention, black, simple, V-neck and stopping above the knees along with a pair of high-black heels for the match.

She had bought a shirt at Dior, and another one at Burberry, and had after much consideration, decided to stop by Victoria's Secret. She and Amy were now in the store, looking though the dirtiest pieces of underwear on the far-end of the store. Lightning felt some eyes on her, especially the saleswomen, but a few customers had gawked at her sight. She hadn't reacted and had kept her focus on the underwear. Red, black, black _and_ red, there were too many she wanted to buy.

Letting her hand slide across the different fabrics, she spotted matching bra and thong screaming to get her attention and immediately, Lightning was standing still in front of the outfit. Delicately picking it up, she looked at her figure on the mirror and gazed at the saleswoman standing still behind her through the reflection, her brow getting a degree higher at her awkward sight. She faked a smile as she turned around to get a better sight and was positively shocked as she recognized Lebreau, the brunette now smirking in her direction.

Coming closer, Lightning said 'this is a surprise. I didn't know you worked here?'

'I don't actually, but…my girlfriend is.'

Lightning frowned. Clearing her throat, she took a step backwards from Lebreau and glared in her direction.

'I'm kidding Light, I'm not that kind of person. My sister works here, not me!'

'Oh,' Lightning said blushing, 'sorry. The idea of the drama terrified me.'

'No sorry. It was a bad joke!'

She chuckled and gazed back at Lebreau. The smell of the perfume lingering in the store began to become overwhelming, and with a shrug, Lightning moved closer to Lebreau with a smile, underwear and bags in hand. Pointing at the check-out counter, they both made their way towards an older dark-haired woman looking exactly like Lebreau, and two plus two immediately made four.

The resemblance was uncanny. They had the same eyes, the same dark color surrounded by a golden circle, they had the same shapes and were basically the same size. The only thing bringing out a difference was a simple beauty mark over her left eyebrow that Skyler did not possess. But apart from that it was like looking in a mirror. Smiling at her sight and catching a glimpse of her tag, Lightning placed the matching underwear on the counter and waited for Skyler to break the silence.

'Hey Gina. I don't think I need to present you Lightning since well…'

'Sky' shut up!'

Arching a brow, she glanced at the two women one after another and chuckled at the small fights she had also experienced with her own sister. Seeing it with others was also amusing.

'So Light this is my twin-sister as I'm sure you've understood.'

'Yes, the resemblance is… Well,' she said waving a hand between the two of them, 'uncanny.'

'I'm prettier though,' Gina said.

Bursting into laughter, Lightning handed out her credit card and looked at the daggers Lebreau was shooting in direction on her sister. Placing her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, she suddenly remembered Amy and with a glance over her shoulder, tried to find her dark-haired friend too busy flirting with a man. Snorting at the obvious attempt to get his attention, twitching curls of her hair and laughing _way_ too loud, Lightning observed.

Elbowing against the counter, she only looked at Amy with a lopsided grin and winked as their eyes finally locked. Noticing the red color burning her cheeks, Lightning turned back around and felt two pair of eyes on her, glancing back and forth between the twins.

'Sorry, my best-friend is making a fool of herself so… I just have to make fun of her.'

'Ha I get that! Well anyway,' Lebreau said, 'will I see you again?'

'I don't see why not,' Lightning said after grabbing her card and bag in her palm, 'bye guys.'

With a little wave of the hand, she left the vicinity and mouthed at Amy she needed to go. Nodding, Amy sent her a kiss and went back to her conversation whilst Lightning was exiting the store, ready to put her new clothes in her dressing-room.

* * *

Sasha was waiting in Kate's office with her legs crossed, looking at the inside of the room with knitted brow. She had been asked to come for a reason she couldn't understand. Perhaps was it because she had _no_ idea why she had been asked to come here. She and Kate got along just fine, but they never really talked outside of the job. They never had a drink, they never shared experiences, and never had she been asked to come to her office.

Sighing, she rubbed her face in her palms and elbowing on her knees, she gazed at the floor. Her sneakers looked used, worn and she could see a stain, red near her big toe. _Oh right, hot-dog_. Chuckling, she glanced over her shoulder as the office door opened, the tall agent penetrating inside the room with a spark in her eyes.

'Thanks for coming Sasha, I appreciate it,' she said sitting down on her chair.

'No problem! Though I have to say I'm confused.'

'Yes, I imagine you are. But this is important. No doubt you've seen the tabloids? Assuming that Lightning and I are in a relationship?'

 _Well yeah, it's kinda what you both want, isn't it?_ 'Yes, I've seen them.'

'I need to make the rumors disappear.'

 _Well fuck._ Leaning forward, Sasha arched a brow. Kate seemed utterly annoyed and this made no sense. Yesterday she had been ready to jump on her and now all of a sudden, she didn't? Plus, they had sex the previous night, hadn't they?

'When I dropped her at her place yesterday I realized she was too young. We're twelve years apart, it's too much.'

'So, you didn't fuck,' Sasha blurted out, her hands immediately falling on top of her mouth. 'Sorry.'

'No need, but no we didn't. I put her to bed, and it was done.'

'Okay. But what do you want me to do then?'

'She needs a girlfriend. To be seen with, kiss, snuggle and all that shit' she said waving a hand in the air. 'I don't want either of us to suffer the suspicions we might be together.'

This came out of the blue like a lama spitting on her face. Confused, she titled her head to the side and saw a wave of emotions passing on Kate's face. Anger, sadness, pain, there was nothing else but those. She could see how much it hurt her for having to ask her this favor, but Sasha also knew it was the best idea she possibly had. _But who might she date?_

'I'll see what I can do Kate.'

'She hasn't been seeing anyone?'

'Well…' she loudly gasped, 'yes, yes she saw someone two days ago. But I don't know what it meant?'

'Oh. Okay.'

The words Kate had spoken were so cold and emotionless that the windows began to freeze, and the room grew ice-cold. Sitting uncomfortably at the edge of her seat, Sasha darted at the corners of the room. She wanted to _leave_.

Taking her own advice, Sasha stood up from her seat and threw a smile in Kate's direction, the agent gazing at the void. 'I'm gonna go Kate...' Kate waved her hand in the air, and quickly, Sasha was gone.

Sasha exited the building and let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the few pedestrians on the street, she was surprised to stumble across Lightning smoking further away, leaning against the door of an Aston Martin. Shaking her head, she came closer to her friend and waved to get her attention.

'Light? What are you doing here?'

'I uh, wanted to speak with Kate.'

'That's not a good idea. I need to talk to you actually, let's go back to your house, okay?'

'Uh…okay. Okay! I need to show you what I bought!'

'Can't wait for that.'

* * *

'She wants me to date someone? I don't understand, why? What happened? Did I do something wrong?' Lightning paused and breathed in. 'Does she want to stop being my agent?'

'What? No, no! Of course not! She loves you very much, but she doesn't want to put either of you in an awkward position. Keep it professional, if you want.'

'Oh. I see.'

Her heart slightly broke, feeling heavier than usual. She breathed in the air but felt as if she would suffocate. The air began to vanish from her lungs and soon enough, Lightning was asphyxiating. She felt a hand grabbing her by the arm but was unable to look in her direction, only hearing faint words. Trying to breathe, she began to pant loudly on the sofa, her brain going overload.

'Light focus on me! Lightning, my voice, it's Sasha. Everything's fine, you're fine okay?'

She wanted to listen, but she couldn't hear. _Panic attack_. The pressure on her arm was relived and she was left alone on the couch, sobs escaping her sore throat. She felt like she was going to die, and she had no idea how to prevent it from happening.

Soon enough, she felt a bag being placed over her mouth and slowly she began to breathe, the drops of sweat rolling down her spine, her entire body shivering. She was afraid, and she hated it. She was disappointed, and she wanted to disappear down a hole never to come back.


	4. Chapter 4

The music was loud. It was so loud she hadn't even heard the doorbell ringing, too busy listening to the song they would make the music-video for, singing loudly as her guitarist had been pointing out a few things from what they had in mind, the director agreeing to most of her ideas.

Usually relaxed and good in her shoes, Fang had an issue with the person they had decided to hire for the video. Though being a very pretty girl as she had been able to notice during the Grammy awards, Lightning Farron did not seem to know what it meant to be in front of a rolling camera, to play a part in a short movie. She was confident and natural in front of the photographers and her smile was the absolute proof of that, but there was something bothering her, something she sadly could not pinpoint.

Fanny, the thirty-year-old director had told her she was the perfect choice for what they had planned, and since Lightning had been an openly lesbian (something that had rocked Fang to the core and still found impossible to believe) it therefore wouldn't be an issue to show it on TV. She was elegant and feminine and exactly what they wanted to show. The difference in people, a difference that did not matter when it came to love. _And plus, I'm sure you won't mind if you're kissing her. Let's admit it, she's really pretty Fang. Stop being so annoying Fang. Stop this Fang. Just deal with it Fang!_ Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Fang let out a heavy sigh.

Glancing at her guitarist as the music stopped and being replaced by the sound of heels on the ground, Fang smirked and swiftly turned around on her black leather boots, observing the tall _pinkie_ penetrating inside the room with a white dress, black purse and beige heels. _Yeah, she's hot. But she's a model. This will never work out._

Scratching the top of her head, Fang came closer to Lightning, the young woman throwing strange looks in direction of the male drummer and male bass-guitarist with a face the color of grey. Amused, she caught her attention as she cleared her throat, Lightning's face immediately shimmering with delight as their eyes finally locked.

'Hey there. No trouble findin' the buildin'?'

'No none at all! I hope I'm not late,' Lightning sheepishly answered.

'Nah. Plus we're just gonna talk and make this clear today.'

'Oh, okay!'

Smirking, Fang motioned her hand in direction of one of the chairs for Lightning to sit on, and elegantly, Lightning obeyed. Trying not to ogle on her rear-end tightly held by the dress, Fang felt a strong punch between her ribs and immediately glared in her guitarist's direction, the young dark-haired girl sniggering to herself, proud for catching her red-handed.

Focusing her attention back on the new short-term member of their group, Fang found her blush creeping on her chest both adorable and surprising. Adorable because it gave her an innocent look that was to die for, and surprising because she would've assumed for her to be used to having all eyes on her. But then, she was usually observed for her own benefit, and right now, she could tell she was being judged.

'So,' Fanny said as she came back from the bathroom, 'Lightning it's a pleasure to meet you.'

'Same here,' Lightning replied shaking the hand handed to her, 'I've seen a lot of your work,' she continued with a smile. 'You have some amazing an amazing eye when it comes to shooting.'

'Oh, thank you, that means a lot coming from you.'

'Well, I'm only posing, I'm not the one taking the photos,' Lightning answered with the same smile.

Hiding a smile and darting at the floor, Fang was pleasantly surprised by her comment. She had believed Lightning to be a woman so full of herself that the size of the room would not have been able to contain her head. But as she looked up again, she realized Lightning was just like anyone else. She might have loved herself a little bit too much, she however knew when to take the credit, and when not to.

Turning around, she scanned the room with care and smiled at the sight of the bottle of water she had been dying for, sauntering in its direction as Fanny pursued her pathetic attempt at flattery.

'In any case, you're a great figure for the camera.'

'Thank you.'

'Now, you do know that this won't be like a photoshoot. Acting is quite different from anything you know.'

'Well I've been in a commercial before for Burberry, but I suppose it's not the same.'

 _Bourbon-what?_ Fang snickered to herself. This was a world she really did not understand. The world of pretty girls giggling for no reason at all, the world of expensive shoes and who was wearing _who_ , and not who was wearing _what_. She really couldn't comprehend how anyone could care about the name of a dress rather than how comfortable it felt. And the simple thought of that made her smile.

'Yes, it's not. You were young when you made that commercial no?'

'Uh,' Lightning with her thumb between her lips, 'yeah, I was sixteen. So, it wasn't that long ago, actually. Four years.'

'You're twenty?!'

Having let the words escape her mouth a wee bit too loudly, Fang hadn't been surprised to receive a glare from Fanny, the director now crossing her arms _and_ legs. Awkwardly smiling, she focused her attention on only Lightning, wondering how on Earth she was supposed to believe that _she_ was only twenty-years old. The makeup might have helped yes, but she still seemed older than advertised. Twenty-three, at least.

Holding her hands in the air, palms up, Fang fell silent again. Fanny was obviously in no mood for her comments.

' _Anyway_. The contract is simple. You'll have to show up from ten am to four pm every Monday, Thursday Friday and Saturday for the next two weeks. We'll see after if we need more time. It will all depend on you and Fang,' Fanny said pointing at the singer lifting her gaze back up from the ground.

'Yes, no problem,' Lightning answered with a bob of the head.

'Alright, great. You won't have any issues with shootings?'

'I have them on Wednesday most of the time. But I'll push them if I'm asked to participate in one.'

'Fantastic!'

Fang nodded as she caught Fanny's gaze, immediately looking back at Lightning with a smile. Coming closer to the group that had gathered around the young model, Fang only _now_ realized the intense color of her eyes. Their blue was so bright, so fresh, she had the feeling she was suddenly looking back at the Pacific Ocean on the East Coast of Australia, her homeland. The almond-shape of them was bringing the color even more than it should've, and everyone would've agreed with her when saying _her eyes are the best thing she owns_ , because now, it was exactly what Fang thought.

She had met people with beautiful eyes throughout her life and had even loved her own. But compared to anyone else's, Lightning Farron possessed the most beautiful eyes she had never seen.

Realizing she was now _staring_ at her like a creepy fan and noticing her cheeks turning pinker than her hair, Fang darted away.

'So, now let's talk details. You're openly gay, yes?'

'Yes! Fang warned me that we'd be making-out,' Lightning said with an additional shade of pink, 'and I'm okay with it.'

'Are you sure? Fang can be kind of a jerk,' the guitarist teased.

Lightning laughed at the comment but quickly, the young model shook her head from side to side, a bright smile plastered on her face.

'I'm sure we'll be fine.'

'See, she's nice, ya are just mean,' Fang said moving away from the guitarist. 'Mean!'

Flipping her middle finger, Fang smirked and walked closer to Lightning. Standing next to her chair with her arms crossed, she uncrossed them only to pull her hair back from her face, her fingers running through the dark-colored mass on top of her head.

' _So_ , the video would tell the story of a couple that have different lives. And this is why you were perfect since Fang and you are, let's face it, a thousand miles away from one another.'

'I suppose that's true,' Lightning teased as she glanced up and down Fang's body, 'I'm sure it's true actually.'

'Everyone's against me, I get it,' Fang said moving away, 'I get it!' Throwing her hands in the air, she casted a glance over her shoulder and said, 'Well, gotta use the loo.'

Leaving the meeting-room, Fang glanced through the tainted glass of the room and with a smile, she entered the bathroom. Placing her palms on the sink, she looked at her reflection with a grin, glancing at her many tattoos on her arms, all of them having a special signification. She had talked about them in a magazine about rock bands and had answered the same thing she had said everyone when she had heard the same damn question: _I have tattoos because I want to. They mean something to me. Some are personal, some are not. It makes me remember things, and it always brings a smile on my face, even if the memory is painful._

Painful memories were part of her life. Leaving her sister alone in Australia to start her career as a singer was heartbreaking, and the date on which it had happened would always be inked on her skin. The time her mother had passed away would always be inked by the drawing of a house covered with colors, the aquarelle-like style making her remember of her mother's passion for art. The memory of her first album was also tattooed on her body. Everything she held dear was on her, and never would she stop showing it to the world.

Sighing to herself, Fang opened the tap and washed her hand with the vanilla scented lotion placed near the sink, gazing inside her green eyes. She smiled and frowned at the sight of something stuck between her teeth and with a sigh, pursued on washing her hands before using her nail to get rid of whatever she had eaten before. _Great. And I smiled. And why do I care? She's a human being, not the Queen of fucking England._

Making sure whatever she had was gone, Fang flicked the lights back off and left the bathroom with a slow-paste, her hands back in her pockets. Surprised to see everyone had exited the meeting room, and wondering how long she had been away, Fang peaked her head under the frame of the door. Arching a brow, she clasped her hands on her hips and darted in every direction, a glimpse of irritation crossing the features of her face.

Marching inside the room, she opened the door of the recording room and was surprised to find Lightning sitting alone on a chair with a headset over her ears until the lightbulb in her head turned itself on. _Ah, yes. Of course. But where are they all?_

Bringing herself closer to Lightning and amused to realize she had no idea she had been standing next to her, Fang softly placed her hand on her shoulders and flinched at the same time she did. She observed a reaction in Lightning's eyes, an anger she hadn't thought she would see. She clearly had misjudged her.

'You've frightened me,' Lightning said with a hand on her heart, 'phew.'

'Sorry. I didn't mean to startle ya. Ya okay?'

'Yes I'm fine, I just have some troubles with people sneaking up on me. But it's nothing personal!'

Lightning smiled and once more, her face turned into a beautiful sight. Nodding, Fang grabbed a chair and placed it next to Lightning's, gazing inside her eyes.

'So, what do ya think?'

'I see why they want a sexual kind of video. The rhythm is…' she bit her lip and stared at Fang, 'enticing.'

'It was my idea actually. I thought it'd fit great.'

'Well I really can't question that!'

Fang chuckled and coped her chin in her hand. Observing Lightning with care, she let her eyes travel to her lips and for a few moments, kept on looking at the two thin lines. Lifting her gaze back up from her lips, Fang smirked and leaned back on her chair, her right ankle on her left thigh.

'So, how's your girlfriend goin'?'

'Tsch. She's not,' Lightning muttered. Breathing in, she repeated herself. 'She's not my girlfriend.'

Noticing she had hit the wrong cord, the sound of Lightning's voice lost all its melody. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to be a dick.'

'Don't worry! It's fine.' They both paused, darting in other direction. Suddenly, Lightning's voice grew high-pitched in the room and Fang's heart skipped a beat. Damn that girl could speak loudly. 'Do you mind if we take a picture together? It's for my Instagram.'

'No problem at all;' Fang answered with a grin, 'here?'

'Yeah?'

Standing up, Fang observed the giggling model pulling out her iPhone X. Discretely rolling her eyes at the sight of the phone, Fang readjusted her t-shirt and glanced at her reflection in the glass, pushing her hair away and making sure she would look nice. Something seeming hard standing next to someone like Lightning freaking Farron, Bourbon-what model ever since the age of eight. _Eight!_

Sighing, she positioned herself next to the girl and instinctively wrapped her arm around her shoulder. Looking at the bright screen showing their two faces, Fang smiled. She smiled because of how happy Lightning looked, her innocence captured in one single picture. It was refreshing to know people like this. To witness such a smile, such a lust for life.

Keeping her focus on the camera, Fang laughed as she noticed Lightning had not taken one, not two, but at least ten pictures one after another and pulling away, she grinned at the model.

'Need the perfect one?'

'Ha, you know it. Need to twitch a few things though. It shouldn't take me a long time. And I've added you. Can I tag you?'

'Uh, yeah sure!'

'Thank you!'

Chuckling and shaking her head, Fang watched as Lightning sat back down on the chair, her fingers already pressing on too many buttons. Observing from the corner of her eye, she watched her as she selected the fifth photo, scrutinized as she changed the settings of the lighting, adding some effects on the corner of the picture and couldn't help but to chuckle every time a giggle escaped Lightning's throat. Refreshing. This word defined Lightning in the most perfect way, and Fang could not wait to start the clip with her. _And I get to kiss her. Suck it fangirls and fanboys!_

* * *

She hadn't really agreed to the whole idea of dating someone else. She hadn't really wanted to come here tonight but she had thought _oh, what the hell?_ Six months after breaking-up with her ex-girlfriend, a young student called Alexa, Lightning had eventually decided that maybe it _was_ time to get back out there, out in the open for the world to see. Sasha had made a point when she had said that it was _maybe_ better to keep a professional relationship with Kate, and when she had offered the name of Lebreau for a possible date, Lightning had hesitated.

She liked Lebreau. She was really a nice girl, and she had enjoyed their time together. But, as she had noticed the following morning upon their meeting, something had bothered her. Perhaps was it the intimacy she had suddenly been caught in, maybe was it because she had felt comfortable kissing her the morning and letting her use her shower. Maybe was it simply she hadn't thought about being ready. But what if she was, after all? What did she had to lose?

Sitting there in the middle of one of the classiest restaurants in downtown LA, in the middle of Beverly Hills, Lightning kept on fidgeting on her seat. Confidence wasn't an issue here, but she was somehow afraid. Afraid to ruin everything by saying something Skyler would not understand, afraid to be standing in front of someone interested in looking deep inside people's brains. She had no idea how to react in front of an intellectual and Lightning was _bothered._

Taking a deep and loud sigh, Lightning gazed at her golden watch on her wrist and lifting her head up from the object, smiled at the sight of the future psychiatrist walking from inside the restaurant to the outside terrace.

Standing up from her chair, Lightning leaned in for a kiss and after placing one on each cheek, took a step back to observe the outfit chosen. Skyler had decided with something casual. A white blouse, some dark-colored pair of trousers and black heels, she had chosen particularly well. It didn't mean anything official, but it meant something either way. This wasn't an outfit to wear only for a friend, but for someone you might think of being more intimate with. She was relieved, and some of the weight on her shoulders disappeared.

Sitting back down, the two women exchanged a smile and a gaze, but feeling her cheeks already burning, Lightning darted away. Perks of being an over-emotional person, to say the least.

'You're looking amazing Light. I don't know why I'm surprised anymore.'

'Thank you, Skyler.' She chuckled and shook her head. 'You look amazing too.'

Locking their eyes again, Lightning's attention was caught by a flash on her right but managed to stay focused on the beautiful girl sitting before her eyes.

She had warned her that after this date, speculations would fly across the world. She had told her that the tabloids would be all over their story, and that if this was a problem, they could always cancel. But Skyler had been comprehensive. She had understood that _this_ was part of being known in the world, and that she wouldn't back down just because she didn't like the left side of her face. It had made Lightning laugh. And everyone liked her laugh.

'This is a beautiful restaurant. I've never been here before.'

'It's one of my favorites. I had a few photoshoots here actually.'

'Oh, really?'

'Yes. But let's not talk about that, sorry.'

She blushed and shook her head. This wasn't shop-talk and she knew it. She had decided upon leaving that if Skyler wanted to know anything, _she_ would have to ask. She knew how annoying it could be for some people to hear stories over and over again about how it was to hard to pose for a camera. She didn't want to kill the mood. She wanted Skyler to be the only topic of the evening.

'Welcome Ladies. Miss Farron, always a pleasure.'

'Hiya Mark,' she said as she gazed up at the man, fighting not to wince. 'Can you get us a bottle of your best Bordeaux?'

'Right away Miss.'

Smiling in the waiter's direction, she waited until he finally left the premises to look back at Lebreau. With her hand on the table, she felt her fingers grazing her skin and shivered at the touch.

'Sorry, maybe that's…'

'That's perfectly fine. After all, this isn't the first time that we're…touching,' Lightning awkwardly said whilst Lebreau was laughing. 'Yeah, yeah!'

'You're cute when you're blushing.'

Her heart flustered at the comment. Remembering Kate's words, Lightning only managed to throw a smile in Lebreau's direction but could not utter a word. First, she needed to push away the nasty thoughts off her head.

Lightning had been feeling angry. She had been feeling resentful to be treated like a child by one of the only person who truly mattered to her. She had despised Kate's comments that _Sasha_ had been asked to tell her and had been highly disappointed to notice she hadn't been able to grab her balls out of her purse and tell her herself, thinking that a damned Aston Martin would make any difference at all.

If there was one thing to know about Lightning Farron, was that she was one to hold a grudge for a _really_ long time. When someone had crossed a line or acted in a petty way, forgetting was not an option. Forgiving, yes, but only in time. Forgetting, never.

'Are you okay?'

'Yes,' she said snapping out of it, 'yes I'm sorry.'

'Lot on your mind?'

'Always, but this really isn't important.'

She waved her hand in the air, pushing the bad thoughts away. Looking at Lebreau in the eyes, the waiter bringing back the bottle to their table waited patiently after opening to bottle, leaving the two women in their never-breaking eye-contact until Lightning leaned back. She pointed at her with her hand, allowing Lebreau, who seemed to be a connoisseur in wine, to taste and judge.

And with a nod, Lebreau tasted. Leaving the wine under her tongue and truly proving she indeed enjoyed wine, she nodded again to the waiter after swallowing the sip she had taken, a smile plastered back on her face. Letting the waiter pour two identical glasses and waiting once more for him to leave, Lightning and Lebreau both simultaneously picked up their glasses from the table and slowly clicked them together, grinning at one another.

Her phone had been placed on the table, and for a few seconds, it kept on buzzing. Over and over, she felt the buzzing going through the entire table and glancing at the screen, what she had suspected would happen, happened even faster than planned.

'Let me guess… There's already something,' Lebreau teased.

'Yep, exactly. It was…'

'Fast?'

'Rather, yes.'

'What's it saying? I'm curious, sue me.'

Giggling, Lightning unlocked her phone by entering her four-digit code and quickly, she landed on the page of the bloggers. Taking a sharp intake of air, she read: ' _Look at this. After being seen with Katherine Klark, Lightning Farron is now on a date with another girl. Smiling, and touching hands, sharing a bottle of expensive wine. Is this the relationship Lightning desperately needs? Is getting over Alexa so hard?_ ' she stopped and sucked in the air before continuing. _'Will the new mystery-woman be the one for her? We'll keep you posted on any developments!'_

She sighed loudly through her nose, nostrils flaring. She knew she shouldn't let herself be bothered by petty rumors, but to throw her ex's name in the lot was a step too far.

'Well, they certainly are jerks,' Lebreau said after a sip of wine, 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be. Sometimes I forget how annoying they can be.'

She felt thankful that Skyler hadn't felt the need to ask anything about Alexa Franklin. She knew how uncomfortable a conversation could go when chatting about ex's, and the topic was one she resented like the plague.

She and Alexa had met during a party, four years ago. They had immediately hit it off, and two weeks later they had made their relationship known to the world.

The two first years had been perfect. They had so much in common, both of them loving fashion and everything related to it. Alexa was studying to be a fashion designer, and Lightning was her model. Her personal model. They had taken pictures, they had laughed, they had been thick as thieves until Alexa had decided to throw everything out of the window.

She hadn't blamed her at first, and had managed to get over her depression, her foul mood and growing anxiety but week after week, getting Alexa out of the house to enjoy the outside world had become difficult. The woman she had so intensively loved had disappeared and had been replaced by a copy, boring and without any life. And everything had completely crumbled to the ground.

When the morning has started with kisses and passionate embraces had ended with fights, objects being thrown to the walls and screams nearly breaking every window of her house. Their nights they had shared hand in hand in front of the fire-place with a bottle of wine had then consisted of dark looks, Alexa usually leaving the ground-floor to go and sleep at 9PM, the time where Lightning was leaving the house to go out and enjoy something else than this awful atmosphere. And then, they had broken up.

They had yelled and screamed and cried. They had said hurtful words and had done everything to make the other suffer as much as possible. They had left without a wave, and in six months, no contact had been made. The remains of their love were gone, and the friendship they once had had disappeared as if it had never existed.

'So, are you excited to finally be done with your studies,' Lightning asked snapping out of her thoughts again.

'Yes! So much! I can't wait to be done. The ceremony is in a month, I'm excited!'

'Oh, that sounds exciting!'

'It so is. And…if you ever want to come and see… You're welcome to come.' Lebreau pursed her lips together. 'To the ceremony.'

Hiding a chuckle behind her glass of red wine, Lightning took a sip but kept her gaze on Lebreau. A tingling feeling spread across her stomach and down her spine, the same tingling feeling she had felt when she had woken up next to her only two days ago.

'I'll definitely be there,' Lightning replied as she placed her glass back on the table, 'you can count on it.'

'Great! So, I have to ask you something…'

'Alright?'

'When did you know you wanted to be a model?'

Surprised by the question, but also oh so pleased, Lightning let out a chuckle and after a shake of her head, brought her attention back to Lebreau.

'So basically….Wait. Are you ready? It's long.'

'You have my undivided attention.'

Letting out a grin, Lightning began. The story of how she had been _pushed_ didn't really start with a nice one. Her parents, Amanda and Daniel had both always been amazed by how she looked. Ever since a little girl, Lightning had enjoyed dressing up, she enjoyed stopping in front of stores to look at the big dresses, at the tall shoes and had been known to utter the words _I want to be in this one day_. And her parents had kept everything she had said in their minds until one day, a Burberry add had been plastered on the streets of Toronto. And without the time to take a breath, Lightning was standing in the middle of a room with all eyes on her, and she had _cried_.

She had felt in danger she had disliked the feeling of being touched and pushed by grown-ups, she had despised her parents for telling her to suck it up. She had felt attacked and out of place. But nevertheless, Lightning had accepted to hold her head high and like that, a career had started. No matter what had then happened, she had kept a strong-face.

For the next years, Lightning had been pressed to auditions, she had posed for different brands, she had smiled when being told to and had cried every single night. Never had she thought that this life would be the best thing to ever happen to her, sitting in this restaurant at only twenty-year-old.

Then, at sixteen, Kate came in her life. With her blazing aroma, her sparkling eyes, her wicked smile, Lightning had been mesmerized. There wasn't a thing she had been able to say no to, and all of a sudden, modeling was back on track. Finishing high-school, she was offered a commercial for Burberry that hadn't forgot about her and soon enough, she began to climb the steps of a famous kind of life. Invited to parties, asked to model for more brands than she could count, Lightning's face was everywhere, and everyone was thrilled.

And she had realized what it meant to truly be a model. Of course, some of the photographers were idiots, and as most of them were men, Lightning had sometimes a hard time to obey they command, but growing older, she had left her snarky comments to herself and had learned to keep her opinion to herself.

'Do you still feel remorseful towards your parents? For putting you through it?'

'Hm, yes and no. My parents died when I was eighteen, so I guess it helped me make my peace. And to be honest, without them, I wouldn't be where I am.'

Feeling tears filling her eyes, Lightning darted at the night-sky. Taking in a deep breath, she felt a warm hand landing on top of her own and did not fight when their fingers intertwined. It was a nice feeling, and the empathy was appreciated.

'But anyway,' she said with a smile, looking back at Lebreau, 'tell me more about your studies. What do you learn exactly?'

'It's long as well. Are you ready?'

'You have my undivided attention,' Lightning teased with a smirk.

Lebreau let out a laugh, and after a sip of wine, she gazed at Lightning with her hand still on top of hers. 'So basically, I started with the basics. Psychology, math, law, physics… In my third-year, I chose mental-disorders, or personality disorders if you will and I just knew that this is what I wanted to do.'

'Personality disorders,' Lightning asked.

'Yes, like the different clusters. So, a deeper insight on anxiety, narcissistic personalities, psychopathy, schizophrenia… the _whole_ deal.'

Nodding, Lightning felt her cheeks burning. She felt like an idiot next to her. She had never studied and had some trouble grasping the concept of some of the words Lebreau had pronounced. But fast enough and with a cigarette between her lips, Lightning was swallowing her every word again.

'So, I had an internship in a psychologist's office and in a psychiatrist's office and I quickly decided that psychiatry was more interesting to me. It treats harder diseases, like the ones I mentioned, and I was bereft sitting in a psychology office. So, my choice was quickly made.

'When I got my master's degree, I hesitated to stop there. I had a lot of knowledge on the subject, but I kept pushing on, I wanted to know more, and more. I love to learn new things and there are so many things to learn from the world itself. And the human brain is such an amazing thing, I couldn't get enough. So, I applied for a doctorate and I received my degree with highest honors only a few weeks ago. And you know what?'

'No,' Lightning said. Swallowing her saliva, she realized she had been staring at Lebreau, a blush coming back.

'I'm getting my doctorate yes. But I never would've thought to go on a date with you. I never thought we'd ever meet. And it's just like my life can't be any better. I'm afraid Karma might hit me in the face,' Lebreau said with a laughter.

Hiding her face in her palms and escaping the hold she had kept in Lebreau's, Lightning chuckled to herself. Lebreau was such a sweet person, there was no doubt about it. But she was afraid that the level of the conversation might not be particularly enticing to her. Lightning had never studied, she had barely passed her high-school degree. Compared to her, she wasn't as smart. Witty, yes, but smart? She began to doubt.

'Tsch, you deserve more praise than I do,' Lightning said with a wave of the hand.

'No, I don't. I can't even imagine how hard and trying it must be for you. We're both doing what we love as hard as possible. There's no difference to me.'

'Oh shush!'

'Ha. Well if you'll excuse me… I have to use the loo.'

'Be my guest!'

Smiling, Lightning observed as Lebreau stood up from her chair. What she didn't expect was to see her coming closer to her seat, and without warning, felt her lips being pressed against her own. For a second, she wondered what in the world was happening but quickly let herself being pulled into the kiss, and she deepened the kiss just a little more.

Pulling away, Lebreau gave her one of her brightest smile and with a giggle, she watched her bounce towards the doors of the restaurant. Shaking her head, Lightning let a bright smile plaster her face. Wide, she felt like it would never stop. And at the moment, Lightning was happy. And nothing else mattered.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning had come faster than first believed. After her first date with Lebreau that had gone tremendously well, the two young women had gone their separate way after the exchange of an intense kiss in the middle of the street with all eyes on them and had promised to see each other soon enough. They were officially a couple. And of course, people had taken this _golden_ opportunity to talk.

After Grace had drove her back to her house in Beverly Hills, Lightning had decided to spend an hour with her feet in the pool and a glass of wine in her hand, reading what obnoxious bloggers had written about them and the evening they had shared. She had chuckled at times, frowned at some of things she had read and grunted in the end, tossing the phone to the side to escape from this maddening world. She simply couldn't understand why some people felt the compulsive need to invade one's privacy, and she _knew_ that in the morning, tabloids would've find her date's name as well as any possible information about her. On Sunday, everyone would know that Lightning Farron, young model of twenty would be dating Skyler Lebreau, future psychiatrist of twenty-five.

The moment Lightning had tossed her phone back in her purse, she had let her feet to graze the water and had thought about the music-video. She had felt a smile at the corner of her lips, excited to spend some time with the band, or at least, with Fang and Rony, the guitarist. She was bothered by the fact that two men were a part of it but would make sure to be on her best behavior if they agreed to do the same…and more importantly, if they promised not to land a hand on her.

She had warned Fang about that matter and Fang had, after looking surprised, promised to talk to them about keeping their distance and for that, she had been thankful. _It's nothing personal_ , she had said to Fang, _I just can't stand the touch at times, especially if I don't know them._ Sure, Fang had been confused, but not once had she felt the need to ask a single question or had tried to figure out _why_ Lightning felt such a disgust at the thought of a simple touch, and when she had left the studio, Lightning had smiled. It had been a fantastic day, and an incredible meeting.

It had been hard to look at Fanny when Fang had been standing behind her. It had been hard not to stare at her green eyes, the emerald-like color shimmering in her direction and reminding her of a precious piece of jewelry she simply wanted to wear every day. She had been happy to talk with her a bit, and to share a picture that had hit an amazing number of _likes_ in barely an hour.

After all, this _was_ big news, and with the caption _new work, new people_ , Lightning had created a buzz that had overtook the Instagram sphere. People had asked questions, fans from either the band or Lightning herself unable to understand why they were suddenly hanging out together, people speculating on whether she would start a new career as a singer or if Fang wanted to start a career in modeling. It had been highly entertaining, and as soon as her glass of wine had been finished, Lightning had been tucked in bed under her silk sheets and had spent a dreamless sleep.

Upon waking up on Sunday morning, Lightning had not been surprised to see more than ten missed messages, a few missed calls from her sister, assistant, agent and best-friend and had been stunned to see that the tabloids had indeed spent the _entire_ morning talking about the new _hit-couple_ of the week.

She had decided that before reading anything or calling anyone back, a coffee was needed. Usually waking up at ten in the morning, her housemaid had already stopped by the house and had left burning coffee in the maker with a note, congratulating her for the interview in the magazine. She had sipped her coffee on a long-chair near the swimming-pool with her sunglasses over her eyes and had only after decided to check out the articles and of course, the journalists had done their research. _Skyler Lebreau, psychiatrist. Skyler Lebreau, the new crush. Skyler Lebreau spotted kissing the famous model. Is it a relationship, or a fling?_ She had sighed at the questions, and after having read everything she deemed important, had called the four people who had tried to reach her.

In those four phone-calls, Lightning had received four different reaction. Amy had screamed with joy when Kate had congratulated her with a dry tone, warning her to be careful. Serah had been utterly surprised when Sasha hadn't been surprised at all. All in all, she had spent more than three hours on her phone and had thanked the existence of her earPods for making her life easier as holding her phone to her ear for such a long time had been out of the question.

After the phone-calls, Lightning had done some Yoga at the edge of her pool with some relaxing music and had then decided to take a swim for thirty minutes before finally allowing herself to eat; a home-made salad and a strawberry smoothie for desert, enough for her to feel somehow filled and had then enjoyed some afternoon tanning session on her long-chair for perfect digestion, a fresh Martini in her hand and nothing else but music to keep her company.

It may have seemed odd for a famous model to spend her free-time alone, but Lightning sometimes enjoyed being left with only her thoughts. As a younger teenager, she had been forced to parties and meetings, she had been pushed to go out every single night, she had been asked to go downtown and buy some clothes even though her dressing room had been filled to brim. So, to lay on a chair with wind in her hair and a smile on her face was just what she needed.

And sooner rather than later, the sun had disappeared on the other side of the globe and Lightning was back inside her house, sitting in front of the fire-place with a book in her hands and her glasses on her nose. Reading a book called _Born out of Wedlock,_ her emotions had been like a rollercoaster. Filled with exciting characters and an amazing story, she hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from the pages, gasping and chuckling at times and underlining the quotes she had found to be the funniest.

Talking about a thirty-six-year-old woman forced to get married in order to keep her Business, she was presented to a younger woman fighting to keep up with both ends. Taking care of her sick father, she agreed to marry this woman and soon enough, moved in with her. From here, the drama grew bigger and the tension between the two main characters exploded. And what Lightning loved was just a little bit of drama, and a lot of amusement and the book was perfectly giving her what she needed.

Sitting crossed legs on the fluffy rug, she had drunk two glasses of wine and had read more than fifty pages in only an hour, and after having felt exhaustion creeping in, Lightning had placed the book back on the coffee-table, her glass on the counter and had slowly walked the two flights of stairs of her house before cautiously brushing her teeth and placing her glasses near the sink.

Then, she had crashed face-first inside her pillow, falling asleep only seconds later.

The alarm-clock rang a thirty past seven in the morning and Lightning's mood had been as cutting as a razorblade. Not used to being up when the sun only rose in the sky, she had paced around her house and had muttered insults under her breath every time her hip had hit the counter of the kitchen and had nearly threw her coffee-maker out the window and inside the pool as the dreaded machine had refused to give her the coffee she oh so desperately needed. Having never taken the time to understand how the huge machine worked, she had searched for the instructions in her papers and upon finally finding them, had managed with difficulty to drink her coffee. And during this entire time, she had felt a stiffness in her body, her arms and legs feeling like wet spaghettis.

Sitting in Sukhasana position on the terrace on the first floor of her house, Lightning had breathed in and out for the past ten minutes. She should've felt excited, but right now, Lightning was simply _exhausted_. She felt as if she had only slept an hour, when she had really slept more than six. But she _needed_ her nine hours and more, and her body had decided to react in the most awful way. And this way was to create extremely painful sore muscles.

Opening her left eye, she gazed at the horizon before her eyes without moving a single muscle, taking in the morning coolness of the air. Usually waking up when the temperature was already skyrocketing, she hadn't been used to working out without feeling a single drop of sweat in her eyebrows. And _that_ , she liked. Sighing to herself, Lightning opened her right eye as well and slowly got up from the ground, wincing and grunting at the muscles in her legs, she painfully made her way back inside the house and with a hand on the guardrail, gazed at Sasha standing still in the living-room with her hands on her hips.

Chuckling, Lightning elbowed against the wood and clearing her throat, caught Sasha's gaze.

'Good morning Sasha.'

'Oh my god. You're actually up. You're out of bed. Is this a dream? Am I dreaming? Or am I dead?'

'Oh, shut up,' Lightning snapped as she walked down the stairs.

"Okay, bad mood in the morning.'

Landing on the ground-floor, Lightning gazed at Sasha desperately trying to hide her smile by looking away but failed miserably at her task. 'I'm not in a bad mood I'm just…tired. And sore.'

'Is Skyler still here,' Sasha teased with a grin. Walking towards the counter, she placed a bag on the surface and swiftly turned around to gaze at Lightning. She did seem tired. 'Light? You with me?'

'Yeah.' She shook her head and sighed. 'And no, Skyler's not here.'

'The tabloids are still all over you.'

'No surprises there,' Lightning said with a wave of the hand, 'but well. How can I help you?'

Elbowing on the counter, Lightning rubbed her face with her palms, the pain in her thighs spreading to her lower-back. She hated that stiffness in her muscles, making her feel like she had worked-out for hours without actually having done such a thing. And the exhaustion. She disliked it all.

'Light, are you sure you're okay? You seem down.'

'Just tired don't worry. A shower and I'll be good to go!'

Bringing her palms back on the counter, she blankly stared at Sasha. Looking concerned, her assistant skirted around the counter and brought her hand to her forehead, Lightning's brows going a few degrees higher.

'You're hot.'

'Aw! Thanks love.'

'Idiot. But really you're warm Light…'

She shrugged her shoulders, not really carrying about being a little warmer than usual. All the mattered to her this morning was to make her way to West-Hollywood and arrive on time.

Fanny had told her that she would wear clothes they would chose and that therefore, it did not matter what she would rather upon arriving at the studio. She had prepared herself to wear clothes that would not be from grand designer and had made her peace with it. The thought displeased her, but she understood. With a sigh, Lightning pushed herself from the counter and slowly walked towards the downstairs bathroom with Sasha closely following her with a concerned look on her face.

'Light… Are you sure you're up for it?'

'Tsch, of course I'm sure. Now let me grab a shower and I'll be ready.'

'Okay…'

After a well-deserved shower that hadn't managed to get rid of her soreness, Lightning had been sitting in the car with a hand to her forehead. She truly felt like burning but couldn't possibly dump the band on the first day of filming. Whatever she had caught would be gone by the end of the day, and she needed to be on her best behavior. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the pills Sasha was handing to her and drunk the entire bottle of water, deciding that drugs might be useful in order to prevent anything from invading her body.

She didn't want to be sick. She hated being sick, feeling weak and usually being treated like a baby for a few days, and the simply thought of a disease creeping in her body made her shiver with fear.

Arriving in front of the studio, Lightning wasn't entirely surprised at the sight of photographers waiting for her, but in her state, there was no way she'd come out of that car. She wanted to disappear or become invisible, so she could walk without being seen. Taking a deep breath, she first brought out her pocket mirror from her purse and gazed at her reflection. Puffy red eyes, red cheeks, red forehead. There wasn't a part of her that wasn't the same color of a rose. But she needed to get herself back together. And soon.

Opening the door, she gazed at Sasha's hand being handed to her and slowly, she was brought to her feet. Smiling at the photographers, she ignored the questions concerning her private life as well as any about the reason of her visit at the music studio. She only waved and smiled, Sasha's grip leading her towards the entrance of the door where Fanny was already waiting, her brow arching at the sight of the model looking worse than death itself.

'Wow. Lightning, are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm…all good,' she managed to say.

Holding Sasha's hand and letting herself being guided through the hallway, she glanced at a few doors remaining closed and wondered what wonders might have been held. She giggled to herself at some of the most ridiculous things and shook head with amusement, wondering why on Earth had had thought about such futile things where something important was awaiting her further away down the hall. And finally, she entered the room where the recording would take place, still holding her assistant's hand.

Sweeping the room with her tired eyes, she immediately stumbled across Fang sitting legs crossed, chattering with her drummer and heartily laughing at something he had said. She looked beautiful, and Lightning felt a pinch in her heart she decided to ignore.

'A man able to make a woman laugh,' she said louder that planned, her free landing on top of her mouth. 'Sorry.'

'It's fine but… Lightning, look at me?' Lifting her gaze up, she smiled in direction of Fanny. 'Are you okay?'

'I…' closing her eyes, she breathed in. 'Wow.'

Spinning, Lightning leaned against the wall and slowly let herself slide to the ground, a gasp of surprise escaping Fang's throat. Opening one eye, she searched for the singer inside the room and was confused to see her hiding in the back room, peaking her head under the frame of the door with a hand covering her mouth.

'Tell me ya aren't sick,' Fang said more worried about herself than anyone else.

'No, no… I'm all good,' Lightning said. Standing up with Sasha's help, staying on her heels was becoming an impossible task. Brushing some sweat from her eyebrows, she took her shoes away and was back on the ground with a sigh of relief, losing a few inches and gazed at Fang still keeping her distance. 'I'm good.'

She wasn't feeling well at all. When her face had started to warm up in the middle of her shower, Lightning had only believed it to be a blush but when the heat had become more intense, she had begun to wonder if Sasha hadn't been right. Standing barefoot on the ground feeling light-headed, Lightning feared to cover up the flu.

'Light? Come with me, let's wash you up.'

'Uh? Why?'

'You're sweating honey. A lot.'

Wiping her hand on her forehead, all she could feel was thick and burning wetness. Soon enough, she realized that her entire back was boiling and dripping with sweat, the embarrassment of the situation taking a toll on her moral that hadn't been at its best. Now, it was simply crashing.

Staggering towards the bathroom, Lightning's skin began to boil. Her muscles were sore, her throat was aching, and her head was spinning so much that she simply landed on the ground as the bathroom door closed, sliding back against a cold wall butt first. She brought her knees to her chest and rolled her arms around them under Sasha and Fanny' concerned gazed, the young model moving back and forth on the ground.

Flinching as a hand landed on her forehead again, Lightning gazed up at Fanny wincing as her fingers touched her skin, the freshness of the palm making her sigh with relief. She was sick, and now she knew it. But it didn't matter to her. She had made an agreement with Fanny and the band, she had signed a contract saying she would be there no matter the circumstances. No matter how sick she felt or how much she would be spinning, she _would_ be ready to act.

'Help me up Sasha, please', Lightning muttered under her breath, 'I just need to drink a bit.'

'Lightning… You're _burning_ up. You have at least 102°F.'

'It's fine, I'll be…fine.'

'You won't, and neither will we. Don't forget Fang is a singer, she can't afford being sick. I know you can't either, but you need to go home and rest.'

'Are you…firing me?'

Tears filled her eyes. The next moment, Lightning was crying her heart out on the ground, her head covered by her hands. She felt a hand on her shoulder but was unable to look up, the tears coming so easily the more she thought about the possibility of being canned from a project she had been excited to participate in.

'Lightning, look at me sweetie. Look at me.' Gazing up, she let out a few sobs. Her makeup was ruined, and her head was sweating like a firehose. 'You're not fired at all okay? We'll just push back until you're feeling better. We'll work more, but you're not fired, okay?'

'Are you…,' she said between two whimpers, 'are you sure?'

'Of course, honey. Now go home and get better. Okay?'

Lightning nodded and was lifted up from the ground, grabbing the tissue Sasha had pulled out of her bag. Grabbing it with a sheepish smile, she walked towards the mirror and roughly flinched at her own sight. And immediately, she started crying again under Fanny and Sasha's amused gazes.

Fang had been standing far from the door with her arms crossed on her chest. The minute she had heard a whimper from behind the bathroom door, a small smile had crossed her lips. Lightning hadn't seemed at her best, and based on how she had acted, she had only assumed that the fever that had taken over her body had increased her emotions for the worst.

She had paced around the room, waiting for the three women to come back from the toilet and when the door had opened, Fang's eyes had popped out of their globes. Lightning's makeup had run over her face and though she had managed to get rid of almost everything, a few dark stains were still imprinted on her neck and Lightning was wearing _no_ makeup at all. It gave her a really different face and Fang could quickly notice that she was indeed only twenty years old. Looking seemingly younger, it however made her smile. She really looked darned cute.

'So, Lightning is going to go home since well…she's in no state to do anything. And the minute she's feeling better, she'll come back and we'll work even harder. Okay?'

'Sure,' Fang said looking at Lightning, 'no worries.'

'I'm really…' her voice broke and Fang threw her a reassuring smile.

'It's fine Sunshine. Go get some meds and some sleep.'

'Yes. I'll be able to catch up on The Real Housewives.'

Snorting, Fang shook her head. Looking at the pair of high-heels that had been pushed to the side, Fang pointed at them and waited for Fanny to reach out for them. Noticing that the shoes were handed to Sasha and not Lightning, Fang was even more amused to realize that the height would only make her dizzier than she already appeared to be.

She watched the three of them exiting the room and with a sigh, Fang fell down on the chair standing behind her, a warm chuckle escaping her throat. This woman really was something else.

'So what are we doing then?'

'We have the new album to work on so… this!'

'Right on. Shame we couldn't film.'

'Well, I don't know about ya but I _really_ don't want to be sick and Lightnin' did seem…'

'Stoned?'

'Ha,' Fang said laughing, 'yeah!'

Winking at her guitarist, Fang stood up from her chair and was inside the recording room within minutes. Ready to start the day, she sat down on her chair, and began to think.

* * *

Lying on the couch with a wet towel on her forehead, Lightning was gazing at the television, trying to make sense of whatever _Bethenny Frankle_ was saying. She knew she was pissed off, she knew she was feeling remorseful towards LuAnn but could not for the life of her understand anything.

Sasha had brought her home immediately after leaving the Studio and had bought many different drugs for her to take every six hours to fight the flu she had caught and had left after a few hours as Lightning's eyelids had closed, falling into a deep sleep. She had woken up in front of her TV and had chuckled when she had noticed that Sasha had already prepared the episode of The Real Housewives of New-York she had missed in the past last weeks and had been thrilled to press on the first episode of season 7. Running three seasons behind, she had decided to use her time in quarantine to catch up as fast as possible. But in her state, comprehending anything had been hard.

She knew that Bethenny was back after leaving at the end of season three, she knew that she had her baby and that she was undergoing a divorce with…John. Jack. Joshua. She couldn't remember. She had been excited to learn about her grand return, as she believed that this woman was bringing the entire fun and drama to the reality show. She really loved her and hadn't hesitated to warn her when they had met, a year ago.

It had been a quick meeting when Lightning had been to New-York for the fashion week, but they had exchanged nice words. They hadn't been filmed by the camera crew which had made their conversation more private, and they had both promised to see one another again. Of course, they had both knew this event would never occur, but had left each other under a blue sky, something she had thougt to be difficult to do, based on the show. But she had enjoyed meeting her, and the picture taken and posted on her Instagram account had skyrocketed in minutes. _Model and Writer/Famous personality hanging out together._

It had even been said that Lightning would join the cast of the housewives, a rumor she had immediately denied on her twitter account. She liked the show, yes, but wasn't enough of a brat to participate in. Plus, the amount of drama she had seen had been enough to make her understand that this world was _not_ made for her.

Chuckling to herself, Lightning reached out her hand to snatch the bottle of pills from the table and sighed as her fingers grazed the box, watching it fall and roll under the couch. Grunting, she combed her hair with her hands and glared at the ceiling, readjusting the wet towel over her forehead.

'Looking for these?'

Letting out a cry of surprise, Lightning was sitting back on the couch and cursed under her breath as her head began to spin again. Sluggishly, she laid back down against her pillows and gaze up at the woman standing above her, her brow arching with surprise.

'How long… What?'

'Oh, you're really out of it uh? I came by an hour ago. You were sleeping and then we talked a bit…No?'

Shaking her head, Lightning was unable to remember any of these events. Frowning to herself, she sluggishly handed out her hand and felt the two round pills being placed in her hand. Placing them on her tongue, she swallowed a mouthful of water from the glass being given to her and sighed with despair as she gazed back up at the ceiling, a soft smile plastered on her face.

Rolling to the side, she gazed at Skyler sitting down on an arm-chair and kept her stare on her, the sweat rolling from her eyebrows to her cheek. She felt gross, tired and sad. It was three feelings she had some trouble handling, especially when they all attacked her at once. With a shaking breath, Lightning sucked in the air between her teeth and let out a tear rolling down on her cheek. The single tear became two and soon enough, Lightning was crying her eyes out.

'Hey honey, what's going on,' Lebreau said kneeling down in front of Lightning, pushing a few strands from her pink-colored hair away.

'I'm so gross,' she answered with a breaking voice, 'I feel so…so gross!'

'What? Light you're sick, there's nothing gross with that!'

'You're lying to make me happy,' Lightning said, 'it's sweet.'

Looking intensively at her _girlfriend_ , the word still sounding dry in her mouth and mind, Lightning let out a smile. Closing her eyes, she immediately fell back asleep and wouldn't wake-up before 3 in the morning, with her head in the toilet.

She hadn't felt the need to throw up, but waking up with a banging headache, the pain had been too much for her to handle. She simply had wanted to use the restroom, but the minute her two feet had been on the ground, the migraine had blown out of proportion and had been so strong Lightning had only felt the need to throw up. It had been a first for her, as she had always believed that throwing up from an intense pain had only been a lie. But kneeling above the toilet seat, she had quickly understood that _this_ was a reality.

Tears were overfloating her eyes as she sat down next to the toilet, flushing the remains of whatever she had eaten and shaking on the ground she brought her knees to her chest. She was cold, she was warm, she was tired and dirty. Sniffling, she glanced at the bathroom door opening and allowed Skyler to sit down next to her, placing her head on her shoulder. They did not talk, only listened to the silence as Lightning slowly fell back to sleep, _again_ only to wake up in her own bed with an ice-cold towel on her head, the TV on the wall displaying the Real Housewives to her greatest surprise.

'Hey sweetie… How are you feeling?'

Arching a brow, she watched as Sasha entered the bedroom and laid down on the bed next to her, her hand grazing her burning skin.

'I'm… Good. Wait. Was Skyler here? Was it you?'

'No, she needed to go to school, she called me to warn me you weren't well at all.'

'I threw up…'

'I know love. How are you feeling now?'

Hiding under the covers, Lightning slowly breathed in and out. Nibbling on her lips as her emotional-level hit the roof, she managed to swallow her tears back, sick and tired of crying for no reason at all.

'I'm okay…Tired. I'm so, so tired.'

'It's normal. You've taken your pills?'

'Hm not yet. Could you bring me…Ice-cream?'

'Ice-cream?'

Pushing the covers away, Lightning threw a glare in Sasha's direction who not only seemed to find the situation amusing but couldn't help but to obnoxiously smirk at her request. _Ice cream_. _Because of course, models weren't allowed to eat whatever they wanted._ Rolling her eyes, she waited with her arms crossed on her chest for Sasha to get rid of her obnoxious grin.

'Okay, okay. Flavor?'

'Strawberry! Thanks love.'

Sasha nodded and left the room. Glancing at her night-table, Lightning snatched the remote controller and pressed on play with a wicked smile. Turning around, she brought her pillow higher against the headboard and sluggishly leaned against as the fifth episode of season seven started again. She knew she had seen it during the previous day but couldn't remember a single thing. So, why not watch it again?

Giggling to herself, she waited for Sasha to come back from the kitchen and was positively shocked as another woman penetrated inside her bedroom with a mask covering her room. She shook her head, wondering if her hallucinations were starting again but as Fang took a step closer with the ice-cream in her hands, Lightning realized that _this_ was not a project of her imagination.

Grabbing the ice-cream pot from her hands, Lightning followed her movements as she skirted around the bed and was even more puzzled as she leaned down next to her unable to tear her eyes away from her.

'What the…What?'

'My director told me to stop by,' Fang said under the mask 'and I ran into Sasha downstairs and she said she had to run for thirty minutes. I'll get out of your hair after.'

'I'm confused.'

'Well ya are high.'

'I'm not high!'

'Yeah, right!'

Frowning, Lightning took the lid off the ice-cream pot and with her spoon, brought out some of the ice and placed it on her tongue.

'What the hell are ya watchin'?'

'Real Housewives!'

'Oh, good grief. Oh no.'

'Hey! It's awesome, it's so funny!'

As Fang rolled her eyes, Lightning grabbed the remains of her strength and playfully crashed her fist on her shoulder, the singer letting out a deep laugh as she barely moved from the bed. Grinning in her direction, Lightning frowned again and with a mouthful of ice-cream, she brought her attention back on the television.

'So, who's who?'

'This is Ramona. She's kinda crazy, I don't like her. She just separated from her husband', Lightning said pointing at the screen, 'that's Bethenny, the love of my life.'

'Really?'

'Yeah really! Why?'

'I don't know,' Fang shrugged and winced, pointing at the dark-haired Housewives, 'she's got a…strong jaw, doesn't she?'

Arching a brow, Lightning glanced back at the TV. Turning the volume slightly up, she darted in Fang's direction as the ridiculous mask finally came off her face to show her beautiful smile. Smiling back, she focused back on the television, her spoon going to the pot to her mouth every once in a while.

'Oh,' before I forget, Sasha told me to tell ya to call…Kate? And to let ya know Skyler left some food for ya in the fridge,' Fang said without tearing her eyes away from the screen, 'so ya can eat, yeah? Ya kinda need it.'

'I'm _too_ thin,' Lightning asked.

'Well ya are, but I imagine ya haven't eaten yesterday?'

Drawing the thumb between her lips, Lightning sheepishly shook her head. No, she hadn't eaten a single thing in twenty-four hours except for this delicious ice-cream on her lap. Tugging the covers up to her body, she drew her attention back to the screen and giggled at some of Bethenny's comments.

Fang smiled as she heard the adorable sound coming from Lightning's lips, finding it hard not to look at the beautiful young woman sitting next to her. Without any make-up and her hair attached in a bun on top of her head and even if she could see that the flu had taken a rough toll on her, Fang's opinion on how Lightning looked did not change. She wasn't bothered by her beauty but bothered because she knew that never would she even land someone looking like her. After all, they were completely different, and since Lightning had made her relationship known, all of her hopes to ask her for a drink had vanished in the sewer.

A girlfriend who wasn't here to take care of her. Arching a brow, she glanced at Lightning. Opening her mouth, she closed it back as the same sound escaped her sick friend's lips again. No need to bother someone sick with stupid questions.

'You're staring me.'

 _Damn Fang, get a grip_. 'Sorry. I wanted to ask ya somethin' but…Not sure it's a good idea.'

'Oh you've said too much already, spill,' Lightning teased after a mouthful of ice-cream.

'I was just wondering why your girlfriend wasn't here?'

'Ah, she had to work. She was there yesterday though,' Lightning said with a shrug, 'she found me in the bathroom during the night.' Fidgeting on the mattress, she sat back straight against the headboard and glanced at Fang. 'It's okay though.'

'Don't take it the wrong way but it seems ya were kinda forced into the relationship…'

Noticing the confusion spreading across Lightning's face, Fang took a sharp intake of hair and after running her hand through her hair, she repeated herself.

'Like when I saw ya at the Grammys ya were head over heels for your agent and now… Ya are datin' someone else. I'm just havin' a hard time to understand.'

'I don't even know myself,' she answered with a shrug, 'but I like Skyler. I'll just have to wait and see.'

'Oh alright. Ya know I gotta say… I'm surprised.'

'Surprised,' Lightning asked pausing the TV, 'what about?'

'Well, I imagined ya to be… all girly and a brat, if ya know what I mean.'

'I do. I get this a lot to be honest, I like to surprise people.'

Chuckling, Fang stood up from the bed and glanced at the entire room. With no shame in her body, she looked at the different drawers on her right, gazed at the reflection in a massive mirror as she pushed opened a closest and was tempted to open one of the drawers. Grinning to herself, she slowly pulled it open and gasped at what she saw. She had expected anything but this.

Snickering to herself, she grabbed the enormous book from the drawer and pasted back towards the bed, ignoring Lightning shooting the most aggressive daggers she had ever seen. But without any care in the world, Fang opened up the book and immediately smiled as she stumbled onto a picture of a very small Lightning with her two thumbs up in front of The Louvres in France. Shaking her head, she turned the pages one by one and the more she looked at the pictures, the closer Lightning got.

Feeling her warm breath on her hand turning the pages, she slowly lifted her gaze up and stared at the blue-colored eyes surrounded by red dots. She had cried, and she was tired. But the blue color was still the same. Focusing her attention back on the photos, she arched a brow at the sight of a shorter version of herself and pointing at the picture, she waited for an explanation.

'That's my younger sister, Serah,' Lightning said with a smile, 'we're two years apart.'

'You look a lot alike.'

'Yeah… She has a different name than me though, it's better that way.'

Nodding and understanding why, Fang brought her attention to a family picture. Four individuals were standing one next to another in front of the Sphynx in Egypt. She could see from where Lightning had her looks, her father looking like an extremely well-looking man. With a hand on her shoulder, her was beaming, his teeth whiter than snow hymn and gazing directly at the camera with his piercing blue eyes.

Frowning, she then looked at Lightning's face. Not being more than ten years old, there was something different in her eyes. The previous pictures, where she was obviously younger, her smile and the spark in her eyes had been different, full of life. But on this one picture, Lightning seemed…empty. And angry. She continued turning the pages one by one and about to speak, she lifted her head up only to see the cute pink-colored woman fast asleep in a ball. Sighing, Fang stood up from the bed as quietly as possible and softly, she brought the covers back to her neck.

Pushing a few strands of her hair away, she watched as the sleeping beauty's eyelids were moving and left the bedroom with a smile, the thought of that one picture plastered inside her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

Up and about, Lightning was sitting crossed legs on a chair in the middle of a bright room, wearing a black dress and black heels, shorter than the ones she had ever worn. Looking back and forth at Fang and Fanny, Lightning had patiently waited for them to take a _fucking_ decision on how to do this, and her patience had slowly started to run as thin as ice surrounding a pond.

Having managed to fight the flu in less than seventy-two hours, she had felt like her old self in the middle of Wednesday afternoon and had immediately been seen back on the street of Beverly Hills, walking hand in hand with Skyler Lebreau. They had enjoyed an afternoon coffee in a small shop in one of the richest streets, and had then decided to walk along the beach, chatting and laughing as they remembered what had happened when Lightning had been in prey to hallucinations. _Did I really think I had a dog_ , she had asked with widening eyes, _I've never once had a dog_.

It had amused them both, and their night had ended with a sweet kiss under the stars in her swimming-pool which had then led to intense physical activities in the bedroom. They had both woken up the next morning at seven-thirty sharp and had both been driven away from the luxurious house to the center of west-Hollywood after a warm cup of coffee Lebreau had managed to provide for them in a minute's notice, dominating the coffee-maker Lightning had decided was now her worst enemy.

Now, she simply waited. Fanny and Fang had seemed to have some issues about the scenes they would start with, Fang thinking that first, they should focus on Lightning whilst Fanny had thought the exact opposite. They should first get Fang's, then the ones where they were together and then Lightning's for the finish. During that time, she had simply gazed at her fingernails, the pink-color she had chosen fitting her more than the red one she had first decided to get, but after much consideration and Sasha's nagging, Lightning had gone for the pink. And she didn't regret it one bit.

With her hands now back on her thighs, she lifted her gaze up and met Fang's gaze, the dark-headed girl grinning at her sight. Arching a brow, Lightning tilted her head to the side and tried to figure out what she had done to deserve such a dazzling smile. With a shrug, she let it go and stood up from the chair.

Heading towards the mini-cooler at the corner of the room, she brought out a bottle of sparkling water and turned around with the bottle in hand, waving the bottle in a way to ask if anyone wanted anything as well. Receiving two quick shakes of the head, Lightning went back to the chair, the bottle pressed to her lips. Placing the tap back on the bottle, she spun around on the swiveling chair and gazed at the different cameras in the room, recognizing a few camera models she had been acquainted with and flipped out when her eyes landed on a polaroid.

Back on her feet, Lightning bounced in its direction and grabbed the object delicately in her thin hands, her mouth opening with shock and delight. Bringing the polaroid device in front of her face, she stretched out her arm and plastered a smile on her face, her finger already pressing on the button and releasing a loud noise in the entire room. She giggled to herself as the picture was released from the bottom of the camera and as she placed it back on the table, began to wave the picture in the air.

'Havin' fun there?'

Tearing her eyes away from the picture that only started to appear, Lightning nodded with a grin and in the same perky way, bounced back towards the chair. As the picture finally appeared, Lightning's smile grew even wider. Her white teeth where shining in the room and as the sun, a hand was needed to protect yourself from the light.

'Alright we've made a decision.'

'Oh,' Lightning said still focused on the picture, 'and what's that?'

'First we're going to have you and Fang. Those scenes are the ones where Fang doesn't has to mouth the lyrics, so it's easier.'

'Alright, great!' She stood up from the chair and shoved the picture in her purse, 'let's get this party started!'

There was something strange into kissing someone for show. Whilst Lightning found Fang to be an extremely attractive woman, there was something terrifying to press her lips against her own. Maybe was it because they would both need to be on a bed at some point during the shootings, the enticing position making the contact even more sexual than she had planned to be.

They had already shot one scene, and though needing a lot of work, she had gathered in what direction the entire video was going. In that scene, Lightning had only been asked to walk by Fang staring at the counter, the dark-haired woman looking in pain as she only needed to look haughty, as if she didn't care in the slightest about the woman she was supposed to have strong feelings for, the scene ending with Fang's hands wrapping her wrist to pull her back in her direction with her penetrating stare locked inside her blue eyes. It had been intense, especially because Fang had a way to look at you that made you crumble to your knees, but also because she had been able to feel her breath closer to her mouth, and the though of kissing had been extremely strong.

Now standing outside the building in a back-alley, Lightning was smoking her cigarette next to Fang, talking about the next scene. Fang had tried to make Lightning more comfortable but had felt her breath increasing the second she had pronounced the words _kissing you on the neck_ , and even though she had joked, she had been able to sense her nervousness. Maybe was it why she had blurted out something she had regretted.

'So, Sonja is a tramp?'

Opening wide eyes, Lightning glanced to her left and with an opened mouth, tried to figure out if she had heard Fang's words. Had she actually talked about _The Real Housewives of New-York_ or had it been just a fidget of her imagination?

'Uh, yeah. What episode are you at?'

'Uh…Season 7 episode…9? I think.'

'Well, well! And here I thought it was shit,' Lightning giggled, 'you're a fan.'

'I wouldn't go that far eh! But it's…fun.'

Laughing through her teeth, Lightning slapped her hand over her mouth. 'I knew you'd like it', she said beaming, 'they get to you.'

'With their bullshit, yeah!'

'Bullshit is the best though, isn't it?'

Lightning cackled as Fang nodded in approval, and with a puff she turned around to face Fang. Looking deeply inside her eyes, she let out a faint smile tuck at the corner of her lips and as her chest began to burn, she understood the feeling she felt for Fang. It was a craving desire for her flesh. And she hated it. Fang was a singer, and they lived in two different worlds. They were extremely different in _everything_ , and she knew that whatever she might have felt was simply idiotic. Maybe was it the rush to know they would kiss, to know they would touch in a slightly more intimate way.

'So,', Lightning said as she darted away, 'I'm uh…celebrating my twenty-first in two weeks. Would you like to come?' Lightning paused and rolled her eyes. 'Come to the party.' She blushed, unable to stop her lips from moving. 'Would you want to appear at my party.'

Chuckling, Fang gazed back at Lightning. The blush had crept from her chest to her cheeks and Lightning had turned into an inferno. Trying to hide it by looking on the far right, Fang decided to ignore the change of color that had pigmented her skin.

'Yeah but…They're all young no?'

'Hm no, the models I know are older, as well as a few soap actors. My best-friends are my age of course, but they're like… five.'

'Ya have _five_ best-friends?'

'Well no, but they're my high-school friends. They stayed in Toronto when I moved out but we keep in touch.'

Was this a good idea? Would Fang even accept her invitation? After all she _was_ a rock-star, and seeing more people than she had to was perhaps something she did not want to go through. Clinging onto hope, Lightning puffed on her cigarette, still looking away.

'I don't see why not. I'll have to check.'

'Alright. I remembered though that my best-friend, Anna, she…Adores you. Like, really much.'

'Oh,' Fang asked with an arched brow.

'Yeah. When she found out I'd be working with you she lost her shit. It was intense.' Lightning paused and gazed back at Fang, a smirk on her lips. 'She's straight.'

'Ah darn it!' Fang laughed. 'Kiddin'. But bring her here if ya want. It's always nice to meet a Fang.'

'Really?'

'Yeah! I don't see why not!'

Grinning, Lightning threw her cigarette away on the pavement. Looking at Fang who hadn't finished, she came closer to the brunette and after placing a quick kiss on her cheek, left the premises in a hurry. _What the fuck was that?_

* * *

Her mind was going everywhere. Up and there, right and left, her eyes were unable to focus on anything more than a few seconds. Waiting with her back against the wall for the first kissing scene, Lightning's heart had been pounding inside her chest like a riot. Her palms were sweaty, and her head was spinning, only this time, she knew it wasn't because she was sick. Lightning was turned-on, and her knees were threatening to cave.

With a sharp intake of air, she gazed at Fang waving her hands as she spoke to the director, Fanny wearing a frown she hadn't known she could. As the stress increased, Lightning's self-confidence dropped in a single second and she suddenly began to shake. The one woman who had been in front of cameras for more than ten years was losing her shit because she was supposed to kiss a woman. And she was gay. This made no sense.

Stretching her back against the wall, she watched as Fang came closer in her direction and freaked as a hand copped her cheek, lifting her gaze up from the ground. With a smile, Fang was able to relieve her of all of her worries and grinning back, her confidence popped up again. She sighed, she relaxed her jaw and neck and before she knew it, Fang's hand was against the wall directly against her face. This was the first scene. Lightning was supposed to look away from her sight and therefore, dropped her gaze to the side again and waited for the camera-man to speak up the one word she dreaded.

'Action!'

Breathing in, she knew the scene would only last a second. Her job was simple. She only needed to let Fang's index-finger lift her chin up and look at her before pressing their lips together. It was the easiest job ever but somehow, it felt like the hardest she ever had to face. With her gaze still on the floor, she let the warm, delicate finger touching her chin and slowly, she felt the pressure of it lifting her head up. The sensation of the touch was electrifying, burning and _way_ too arousing.

They gazed up an one another, and frowning, Lightning stopped breathing. Gazing at the lips coming closer to hers, the feeling she felt inside her chest was a turmoil of emotions. She felt happy and broken, she felt depressed, she felt angry at herself for having such a strong reaction, she felt delighted at the touch of Fang's lips against her own perfectly grazing them. She closed her eyes at the touch and let out a breath through her nose before flinching at the word 'Cut' rushing in her ears.

Gazing at Fanny approaching them with a smirk on her lips, she whispered 'Lightning…you have to push her back?'

Instantly, Lightning covered her face with her hands. She felt stupid, unable to know why she had forgotten the only thing she had been meant to do. Red, she nodded at Fanny and after clearing her throat, ignored Fang's low chuckle. Taking a sharp intake of air, she waited for the man to yell _action_ again and once more, she felt Fang's finger under her chin.

Shivering at the touch, she gazed inside her eyes and this time, managed to keep her thoughts clean. Letting their lips touch once more, she immediately pushed her away and left the wall she had been leaning on, a hand quickly grabbing her by the wrist. Throwing a glare over her shoulder, her knees nearly collapsed as Fang's hand wrapped around her waist to bring her closer, their lips touching again. Surprisingly, Fang added her tongue in the kiss and what puzzled Lightning was her own reaction. She hadn't stopped, and quite the contrary, she let her tongue graze hers.

'Cut!' The kiss stopped and with a blush, Lightning looked at the director. 'Okay great. Let's do it again. Lightning, can you look angry when she lifts your chin up? She's been a bitch. And Fang is a bitch, so it shouldn't be _that_ hard.'

'Hey now!'

Chuckling, the weight on her chest slightly faded away. _Look angrier. Okay. I… Yeah_. Immediately, Lightning's mood dropped and with a grunt, she escaped Fang's grip. With her mind only focused on one single thing, she was unable to notice the puzzled look she received. They wanted her angry? They had what was coming for them.

This time, the scene was entirely different. Picturing someone else than the stunning woman in front of her, Lightning's anger went through the roof. Her temples began to pound and the veins on her forehead appeared, the uncontrollable rage she felt nearly exploding in her mind. As the director yelled the same word again, Lightning winced at the contact of Fang's finger under her chin and as she was kissed, her glare was even more intense. She did not only push, but Lightning shoved. Passing next to the brunette, she glared as her wrists was being held back, their lips touching again. It was softer, because Lightning had realized that _he_ was not here. _He_ was not the one grabbing her by the wrist. Fang was. And no one else.

'Cut! Perfect! Lightning that was… extremely convincing.'

Lightning chuckled but yet, she felt uneasy. Uneasy because she could feel Fang's stare, utterly aware of how her behavior had changed. She had become defensive, scared and angry, she had wanted to escape her grasp and push her out the window and she _knew_ that only a few people had seen her this way.

Coming closer to the director, she looked at the shot that had been taken and with a smile, gazed up at Fang still standing in the middle of the room, her hand in her hair. Had she gone too far?

Fang was unable to move. This look, this face, the veins on her forehead, they all seemed to familiar. She had looked exactly like on that picture that still hadn't been erased from her mind, she had noticed how dark her eyes had turned, how clenched her jaw had been. And all of sudden, everything had disappeared. She had smiled and had let go of this mask of terror and pain that had covered or hidden her face. Scratching her head, she glanced up at Lightning smiling at the sight of the video and as their eyes locked, Fang frowned.

Coming closer to her, she tip-toed to get a proper look at the video being played and noticed once more how Lightning had changed her behavior. It had been so sudden and yet so effective. Seconds before, she was smiling and blushing at her own mistakes and the next moment, Lightning was a growing ball of fury and rage. She almost felt…disgusted.

Still staring at the video, thoughts in Fang's brain were bumping and colliding. She tried to focus on anything else, not wanting to get into Lightning's personal problems in any way but quickly, some connections were made. Lightning hated men and hated their touch. She hated their sight and her face turned gray every time she had to face one. Thinking back to the time she had met her drummer and bass-guitarist, she had given them a look that at first, she hadn't focused on. But now, everything made sense. _What if she hates men because… No. Don't go there Fang, it's none of your business you drongo. Get. Over. It._

And over it, she got.

Running her hand through her hair, Lightning was ready to leave. Picking up her purse from the ground, she had left her filming outfit and had slipped back in her beige dress for her greatest relief, the thought of Burberry touching her skin again having let out a sigh of pleasure.

Her hand on the doorknob, Lightning turned it to the left and was surprised to find herself face to face with Fang waiting with a hand in the air ready to knock on the door. Arching a brow, she waited for her to speak, her arms crossing on her chest.

'Yes?'

'Uh I just wanted to make sure ya were okay.'

Her brows grew centimeters higher on her face, and with a shrug, Lightning said 'Yes, I'm fine. Why'd you ask?'

'Just…the scene earlier. Ya seemed pissed.'

'Oh well yeah, they wanted me angry so…I guess I'm a good actress, eh?'

'Apparently so.'

Lightning frowned at the bitter tone, and taking a step backwards, she gazed at Fang. With her hands in her pockets, the singer was staring in her direction with widened eyes. Sighing, she brought her purse closer to her side and as she walked passed Fang, she felt a hand on her wrist again.

'What's up?'

'I…uh… Do ya want to grab a drink?'

Surprised, Lightning glanced at her watch to check out the time, and noticing she still had a couple of hours before meeting with her sister, nodded with a grin on her lips.

'I'd love that.'

'Great uh…I'll meet you in the back-alley in ten?'

'Roger that!'

Smiling, Lightning made her way towards the stairs and elegantly went them down. A drink with Fang seemed like a good idea, and the thought of her being nervous because of that had made her giggle. She had waited to be alone, outside and with a cigarette in hand to let it escape her lips, but the sentiment was _still_ there.

She enjoyed Fang's company, and this was a truth. She found her witty, and full of life. She didn't seem to give a damn about what other people thought about her or what she might do with her life and it was refreshing. She had been used to so many people always being careful about their every move, hanging it with someone who just lived her life because she loved it was a weight of her chest. And plus, with the kiss they had exchanged, their friendship had grown stronger.

Closing her eyes as unpleasant memories rushed back in, Lightning clenched her jaw and fists, the burning cigarette being crushed between her fingers. It felt like flashes, pictures blinking inside her mind, threatening her so she would break.

'I'm here!'

Snapping them back open, she turned around with a puzzled expression on her face. Lowering her gaze to stare at her watch, ten minutes had indeed passed.

'Ya have in place in mind?'

'What do you think of quiet bar?'

'Sounds fangtastic.'

Freezing, Lightning cocked her head. 'Did you just say _fangstatic_ ,' she asked grinning.

'Yeah…'

'You're awful.' Pushing her shoulder, Fang smiled as Lightning chuckled. 'You really are.'

'Ya fuckin' love it.'

'Tsch.'

Yes, she did love it. She loved how easy it was to speak to her, how comfortable she felt in her presence. She knew that somehow, nothing could happen to her while being with Fang.

Exiting the back-alley on the opposite way of the street, Fang and Lightning both landed in front of a cute park straight ahead of them and after a quick bob of the head, they both walked in its direction. With a cigarette in both of her left hands, they silently walked down the park, gazing at the trees and listening to the sound of the birds chirping over their heads.

Looking to her right, Lightning spotted the end of the park and immediately after, what seemed to be a bar. But an idea immediately struck her. After all, she could take Fang home. It was nearly 6 in the afternoon, and the plans she had made with Serah could be postponed. With her fingers already wrapping around her phone, she sent out a few messages and immediately after, Lightning grabbed Fang by the wrist and led her to the East side of the park. Without a word, they both walked, the touch of Fang's skin burning every of her fingertips.

Taking a sharp intake of air after puffing on her cigarette, she threw the fag away on the ground and leaned against the wall as they exited the park, Fang's brow severely arched.

'My driver is bringing us to my place. It's better! With the pool and everything, I think it's a better idea.'

Fang seemed puzzled for a moment, concern washing over her face. Then, she smiled. The lines next to her eyes appeared and Lightning felt electricity around her spine. Trying to ignore the feeling, she darted away and painfully tried to get rid of the sexual attraction she felt towards Fang. Overwhelming and overpowering, she simply wanted to crash her against the wall and slide two fingers in her fold.

'I don't have a bathing-suit…'

'I have some,' Lightning said with a grin, 'they'll fit just fine!'

'Ya sure…Since,' Fang waved at her breasts, 'yours a bigger.'

Feeling a blush, Lightning put out her tongue. Looking at Fang's, she noticed that indeed the size was extremely different. Peering away, she began to silently pray for the car to appear and at the sight of the Maserati, Lightning's heart leaped. _Finally_.

Waving at the driver, Lightning opened the passenger door and sat down after Fang had penetrated inside the car, the Maserati already leaving the vicinity and going back to Beverly Hills in a deafening silence. This silence had not been what she had intended, but as she glanced at Fang and met her gaze, Lightning was unable to keep it longer. The only word in her head was _raw_.

Breathing the damp air of the car in, she let her fingers slide against the middle seat without tearing her eyes away from the leather, painfully trying to push back the smell of Fang's perfume. God she smelt so good.

'Well today was fun eh,' Fang said as an ice-breaker, 'ya were all shy!'

'I was not!'

'Oh please, ya were _so_ red, loved it.'

Pushing her shoulder, Fang heartily laughed. _That_ laugh meant everything. 'I was not,' Lightning said with a fake-like pout. 'I was _not_.'

'Were too. But it was cute!'

Chuckling, Lightning looked at Fang beaming in her direction and with a roll of her eyes, punched her hard on the knee. 'Hey! Uncalled for!'

'Called for,' Lightning said through shiny teeth and a twinkle in her eyes, ' _so_ called for.'

'Miss we've arrived.'

'Oh! Thanks Grace! I'll see you tomorrow!'

Exiting the car and already taking a few steps towards the double-doors of the house, Fang closed the passenger door and with her hands to her lips, gazed at the house. She had seen the hours only days before but with the setting sun, the entire structure seemed different.

At least 20 feet high, the entrance of the house was mesmerizing. On the sides were flowers delicately planted and looking as good as if they had been placed only hours before, red, white and pink roses surrounding the two front walls consisted of only windows. On the first floor, she was able to see what she only assumed to be a terrace and as she saw a bar, there was no longer a doubt in her mind. The second floor of the house was also se through the huge windows and already, Fang could see paintings hanging on the walls. This house was Brobdingnagian.

Taking a few steps closer to the entrance and climbing up a few steps, she grazed the double white doors of the house and instantly felt like the tiniest person in the world and as she saw Lightning standing on her bare-feet on the cold marble tiles, her heart burned. Ignoring the feeling, she peaked on the sides of the house and took in everything it had to offer. The left side was simply consistent of a large, long dining-table and the stairs leading to the first floor, the white walls covered with amazing paintings Lightning had to have bought during auctions at a low price.

Scratching the back of her head, she gazed to her right and looked at the living-room with widening eyes. The couch seemed like a bed she'd be happy to sleep on, the beautiful coffee table covered with a few magazines -fashion of course- and facing a massive TV screen seaming like a home-cinema. Walking towards the kitchen, she noticed another room behind the living-room and in all her curiosity, Fang walked through the hallway and found herself in a majestic library, a modern fire-place only waiting to be turned on. On the table next to an armchair, a book caught her attention and as she came closer, a smile tickled her lips. _He. That's so gay_.

Sauntering back to the living-room and kitchen, Fang was surprised to notice Lightning had disappeared but was quickly called by a soft voice, her eyes darting to her right and observing the outside of the house. The pool was magnificent. Large and seeming like it never-ended, the entire back of the house was covered with marble and grass. Table were placed on the sides and long-chairs were aligned near the pool, a few lanterns stuck inside the ground. But she what she found incredible was the view.

From here, she could see the sun setting behind the ocean, the view of this eternal infinity nearly bringing her to her knees. She had known Lightning was rich, but she had never expected _this_ kind of rich. And from what she gathered, she had more than six zeros in her account.

Clasping her hands on her hips, she gazed at the shorter young woman standing still in front of her pool, her purse tucked away. Grinning, Fang silently came closer to the woman and did something she immediately regretted. But it was too late, and Lighting was already in the water.

She had felt the push on her shoulder, strong and confident and she had instantly known there was no point in fighting. Feeling her entire body being shoved inside the water, she went in legs first and remained under-water for a few seconds before popping her head out of the water, sharply turning around to glare at Fang standing still by the pool with a hand in her hear. Rapidly, her glare was replaced by amusement and swimming back, handed her head for Fang to help.

Unware of her intention, Lightning snatched the hand and immediately pulled Fang in her direction, the woman falling beside her in a loud _splash_. She laughed heartily as her brown-hair surfaced and with a wink, exited the pool. Soaking wet and with her hair looking like she had been on a rollercoaster, Lightning took her dress of on the patio. Standing in her underwear, she stole a glance in Fang's direction and was pleased to see that this time, _she_ was blushing.

'Well, little hot here,' she teased.

'Shut up.'

'No can do! I'm grabbing a shower on the second-floor, there's another next to the library you saw. Fresh towels, everything. I'll place some clothes on the floor for you, okay?'

'Uh…okay!'

Smiling, Fang looked at the thin woman with half of her face under the water and sighed as she escaped the premises. Grunting, she facepalmed herself and understood that her punition hadn't been to be shoved in the water but to suffer through one of the most beautiful views she had seen. _And here I thought the sea was beautiful. How I was wrong._

Sluggishly swimming, Fang pushed herself off the water and felt herself feeling more and more excited to be spending the evening with Lightning.

* * *

Sitting outside in the garden to a place Lightning hadn't taken Fang yet with a glass of wine in hand and some relaxing music in the background, the clock had slowly reached the midnight dead-line of the day. Both of them were looking at the city with their feet grazing the grass, the makeup Lightning had lost by plunging in the pool she had decided not to re-apply. Losing more than twenty-minutes only to take it off hours later had seemed like a waste of time, and plus, she did not really care. She knew Fang would not judge her.

'I really love your house.'

'You've said that already', Lightning said with a soft smile.

'I know but… It's true.'

Narrowing her gaze down as she grabbed her glass, Lightning tucked it at her lips and finished the fifth drink with a loud gasp of pleasure.

'Ya should have your hair like that more. It suits you.'

'Like that,' Lightning asked touching the small braid she had made, 'really?'

'Yeah. You're really pretty.'

Rolling her eyes, Lightning thanked the night darkness for covering up her blush. She _knew_ she was pretty, she knew it because she too had a mirror and saw her reflection in it. She had heard it ever since she had been a little girl. Then why did she blush?

'You're an idiot.'

'Oh yeah that's true! Ya should know it now eh?'

'Yeah,' she answered chuckling, 'I do.'

Grabbing back her glass after Fang had poured them both again, Lightning gazed in her direction. The eye-contact lasted a few seconds, no longer than ten but it had been long enough for her to feel it between her lungs. She wanted to drown in her eyes, she wanted to take a picture of them and keep them close to her heart. And to be looked at by those eyes was creating such a turmoil of emotions, a craving lust and an intense desire to kiss her right here, right now.

Reaching out for her packet of cigarettes, she felt surprised as Fang handed her own, darting back and forth from her eyes to the dangling cigarette, appreciatively grabbing it between her fingers.

'Thanks Fang.'

'Eh, you're offerin' me some awesome wine it's the least I can do!'

'Ha, you don't need to give me anything! It's really my pleasure.'

'So can I ask somethin?' Lightning nodded in response. 'Have ya always been this rich?'

Chuckling, Lightning shook her head. 'No. My parents were wealthy yes, but since I started modeling you, the money was saved in an account. I got it when I was eighteen and there was…a lot of money.'

'It's fun because ya are not like _oh I have so much money_ kinda shit.'

'No. Money talks and wealth whispers.'

'Hi Dorinda!'

Exploding into a fit of laughter, Lightning had to regain her cool before being able to speak. Brushing off a tear of joy from her cheek, she nibbled on her lip and darting back at Fang, she smiled.

'Ya are always smilin'.'

'Is that…bad?'

'No, no,' she explained, 'it's nice actually.' Fang paused to drink a mouthful of her wine, looking back at Lightning to see that same smile on her lips. 'It's really nice.' Looking at the model's hand, a question that had bugged her for a while came out of her lips. 'What's with the ring?'

'Oh, it's my ex who gave it to me actually,' Lightning explained expanding her hand and fingers, 'I can't quite take it off, used to it you know?'

'How long where you together?'

'Four years.'

Opening wide eyes, Fang looked at Lightning. Seeming emotionless, she grabbed her hand in her hand and gazed at the golden-rose ring on her ring-finger, a soft sigh escaping her mouth. Simple and not flamboyant, the ring fitted Lightning like a glove.

'What about you? Any relationships,' Lightning asked as she retrieved her hand, the contact spreading goosebumps across her arms.

'Nah. I move a lot so I don't have time to get serious with anyone. And there's always the 'trust issues', Fang said with her fingers bending, 'but I'm fine with it.'

'I don't think I could do what you do.'

'What do ya mean?'

Breathing in and swallowing a mouthful of wine, Lightning intertwined her fingers and placed her hands on the table. Crossing her legs, she straightened out her spine and dug her stare in Fang's direction.

'Well I couldn't move all the time. Like this house,' she said pointing at it, 'I couldn't stay away from it too long. When I leave it's usually for a week or two, and I always feel homesick while I'm away, even if it's for three days.' She paused to take a drag on her cigarette, blowing the smoke on the opposite direction of Fang, 'and I guess I'm sort of impressed by you. Like I said, I couldn't and yeah, I'm impressed. That's all I meant.'

Fang nodded as she eyed Lightning. There was something so innocent in the way she talked, the way she explained how she viewed the world. She knew she wasn't a child, far from that, but every time she looked into those perfect blue-colored eyes, something told Fang that this woman was like no one else. She wasn't weak, she wasn't in the need of anything but her own damn company. Lightning Farron was a fierce and strong, independent woman and for _that_ , Fang was impressed.

Sighing, she finished her glass in one single mouthful and gazed at Lightning doing the same. Standing back up on her feet, she stretched her back and arms. It was time to go home. But how?

'You can sleep here if you want Fang. I'm going to watch The Real Housewives for a while, on the couch. You're welcome to join me now that I know you _love_ it,' Lightning said in a giggled as she moved away from the table with empty bottle and glass in hand. 'Just saying', she continued with a quick look over her shoulder.

'I really don't want to bother ya…'

'I have four bedrooms, I'm sure we'll find you a place to sleep.'

Looking back at the insanely big house, Fang snatched the last glass of wine from the table along with the ashtray and was already ambling back towards the house. Taking in a last time view of the sleeping city standing at their feet, Fang closed the living-room window and after placing both glass and ashtray on the counter, walked towards the couch.

'Wait, can you take the ashtray,' Lightning asked with a hand in the air, 'I always have a fag here.'

'It's so weird to hear ya say _fag_ since it not American at all.'

'I'm _Canadian_ , difference.'

'Na-ah,' Fang said ashtray in hand, 'no difference at all.'

'Yes, there is. Canada is awesome.'

Fang thought for a moment. Letting out a small grin, she sat down next to the young model tucked under what seemed to be the warmest blanket she had ever seen in her life. Setting her ass perfectly against the comfortable sofa, she gazed at Lightning's finger reaching out for the remote controller and in seconds, the episode of the _Real Housewives of New-York_ started.

With a crystal-clear quality, they listened to the intro without a single word. Each of them acted like the other didn't exist, but as Fang was offered a corner of the quilt, she didn't object. Shivering, she shoved her feet under the blanket and immediately felt the warmth spreading back.

'Can you fuck off?'

'I'm…sorry,' Fang asked concerned at the remark.

'Not you, this stupid dumb-shit ass Heather. Good grief I hate her!'

'Let me guess. Cause she insulted Bethenny?'

'Yes,' Lightning said palms up, 'Bethenny is awesome and she has no right to pull out that bullshit!'

'My Lord ya are rude,' Fang said deadpan, surprised to hear those vile words leaving such thin lips.

'Yeah well, get used to it,' Lightning snickered under her breath, a growl of anger leaving her lips at another nasty comment these women kept on throwing at each other.

Fang only observed with her head in her hand, glancing from the TV to the laughing woman, grunting every now and then with rage, throwing insults at whoever crossed Bethenny. It was a sight that amused her, and if she had to be honest, one she had never thought of seeing. Who knew that one day she would've been sitting on a couch, watching a show she had once despised with a top-model?

No one. But she was happy that it did happen. There wasn't anywhere else she would've wanted to be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hiya. So there's a trigger warning here after the second jump (Having decided...)I thought it was better to warn people of that matter. It concerns Lightning's childhood and what happened to her leading to her hatred for men. Make of that what you will! Anyway... Thanks!**

* * *

A week had come and gone without any troubles. Still working on the music video that slowly, but surely, began to unwrap, Lightning and Fang had become friends. Right after their new founded friendship, rumors had strolled on the web, pointing out to a possible romance _on the side_ , and the accusation had driven Lightning completely mad. Having replied on her twitter account that _no_ , she was not cheating on her actual girlfriend with another woman, the tabloids had begun a game of cat and mouse, and Lightning had managed to win with the precious help of friend, the one and only Fang Yun.

Her relationship with Lebreau had advanced. Usually meeting for a drink out on the town, they had been spotted coming back in the _same_ car more than three night during the week and had even been photographed holding hands in a coffee early in the morning, a dazzling smile on both of their lips. But what had not changed had been her feelings. Though attracted to Lebreau who truly was a stunning woman, she hadn't been able to feel any romantic attraction, and the more the days had passed, the harder it had been to pretend they weren't both living a lie. But, she had decided after much consideration that love wasn't something appearing in the click of her fingers. Love was something built with two different people. And she was willing to try.

Katherine Klark had on her hand managed to find new contracts for Lightning, and though still in a foul mood every time they had conversed, Lightning had managed to keep her head held high, perfectly pretending as if her words had not hurt. But a broken heart was hard to heal, and her love for her agent had not dissipated. _All in good times_ , she had thought upon meeting her agent at her office, _this too shall pass_.

Sasha had remained the same ball of energy, and the news she had proposed to her girlfriend had made Lightning happier than she had been in days. They had cheered, hugged and had promised to celebrate that together. And after Sasha had asked her _boss_ to be her maid-of-honor, Lightning's heart had been filled with an intense joy that still hadn't managed to disappear.

Work-wise, everything had been going as planned. Managing to switch between the music-video and the photoshoots for the spring's season, Lightning felt good in her shoes. And standing in the middle of Colorado Avenue staring at a huge poster of herself for Burberry had brought out an intense, proud smile. She had seen people taking picture next to the posters and had amused herself by popping next to the one's posing for the camera, usually ending in either tears of joy of grins that would last for days.

Her life was _great_.

Now sitting crossed-legs with a burning coffee in her hands, Lightning had been waiting for her sister, Serah, and her still-boyfriend Snow to join with her in a Starbucks Coffee down the beach. She had postponed this meeting for a several days, not particularly enjoying the presence of men by her sister's side or anywhere her vicinity but had managed after much needed convincing to simply meet the man that had conquered Serah's heart.

Her hatred towards men had not changed. If anything, it had only grown more intense over the years of her life, devouring her from the inside anytime she observed a male-figure approaching her way. She hated to receive private message from them and usually tended to ignore and even disregard any of their feelings. They didn't mind at all, but _she_ was annoyed. Annoyed for them to possibly ponder the fact they had a slightest chance with her, that somehow, someday she would open up her heart to any of them whilst _she_ knew this day would never happen. Her hatred was founded on a buried fact, and that precise fact would stay with her for the rest of life.

Sighing to herself at the recollection of unpleasant events, Lightning pushed her coffee further away on the table. Placing her bag on her lap, she reached out for her packet of smokes and placed one in between her lips, her pink lighter providing the required hot flame. Tucking the cigarette out of her lips, she gazed at the stick with a frown. There had been some haters about the fact a model was smoking, but she had learned not to care about any of those. She didn't care if this wasn't good for her, she didn't care to be seen smoking on the streets. She had a life, and she intended on living it the fullest every single day, no matter how many Paparazzi's were breathing down her neck.

'Hey sis!'

Drawing her attention to the right, Lightning bounced out of her chair to receive her sister between her arms, the two sisters chuckling at their long past due renewal. Pulling away, Lightning only gazed at Snow as an acknowledgement of his presence and sat back down on her chair, leaning forward to get a proper and deeper look at her sister.

Looking for any signs of bruises or abuse, she stared and scrutinized Serah for an entire minute without once taking a drag on her cigarette. All that mattered was to make sure Snow hadn't acted like a brute in behalf of her sister, but after this minute, Lightning was relieved. Serah seemed happy, and more importantly, she seemed in love.

'It's been a while Light! I saw that there was a _lot_ going on with you,' Serah said. She waved at the waitress and waited for her to come their way. 'I'll have a Minted Tea please!'

'And a Latte,' Snow sheepishly said, 'thank you.'

Glancing at the man, Lightning looked away as their eye met. Fighting the shiver of disgust running down her spine, she flinched as a hand dropped on top of her, her line of sight going down from that hand to her sister's face. She smiled at the reassuring look she received in her direction, her sister being the only person in the world, apart from her late parents, to know what had happened more than ten years ago. And Serah had never forced her in any way to appreciate the man in her life, understanding her reaction more than anyone else.

'So, how are things going with Lebreau,' Serah asked with a smirk, 'I was so surprised when I found out.'

'It's going good,' Lightning lied through her teeth, 'we've been hanging out a bit more lately so it's really nice.'

It really wasn't. Some days, Lightning just wanted to back down from the relationship as if it had never existed. But she was committed. And perhaps that the fact tabloids would be all over it terrified her as well made her back down from her decision.

'What about you two then,' Lightning said, waving a hand between the happy couple, 'where's this going?'

'Well. We've been together for two months now.'

'Two months?!'

Nearly bouncing off her chair with flaring nostrils, Lightning pointed her finger in Snow's direction. Fuming with rage, she sat back down and with a grunt, snatched her cup of coffee from the table and placed it at her lips. Swallowing the warm beverage, she glared back at Serah. This was beyond petty.

'You lied to me,' Lightning barked, 'why?'

'Calm down Light. Let me explain.'

Aware of her sister's temper when it came to lies and especially when it came to men, Serah had learned had to walk on eggshells without ever breaking one. Taking in a deep intake of air and thank the waitress when her hot tea landed before her eyes, Serah had kept her stare locked on her older sister.

'Well,' Lightning asked again, her patience running thin.

'I wanted to be sure. I've been dating here and there but they all disappointed me.'

'Yeah, that's called a _man_ ,' Lightning said, glaring at Snow.

'Light please. I met Snow when I was at a bad spot. We became friends. I've known him for seven months, and we only decided not long ago that we wanted more. We love each other.'

'That's true,' Snow said. But receiving an elbow in his lungs, his following sentence was dropped on the ground.

Crossing her arms on her chest, Lightning gazed at her fingernails. Black as a storm-like sky, she kept her focus on them, finding it harder and harder not to smack the man across the face. But there had been something reassuring in what Serah had said, if what she said had been true. But she could see that her sister had meant her every word and gazing back at her, Lightning fainted the smallest of smiles.

'Alright,' she uttered, 'alright.' Bringing her hands to her face as she uncrossed her arms, Lightning breathed in.

'I'm alright sis, okay?'

Nodding without lifting her gaze up, Lightning bit hard on her lip. Feeling the tears already invading her eyes, she sniffled quietly, thanking her sister for engaging conversation with _Snow_ to cover up the sounds. Sniffling once more, she hid her face and reached down her purse for a tissue, taking care of any liquid that had rolled down on her face. And sooner rather than later, Lightning was looking back at her sister with her trademark smile.

Bringing her cup of coffee back to her lips, she remained silent as the ongoing conversation between the seemingly happy couple occurred, simply glancing back and forth at the two individuals. As hard as it was for her to admit, Snow did seem like a nice man. He had a bright smile and had been looking at Serah with more love than Alexa had ever given her, and the sentiment was reassuring. She did not trust him, but at least he seemed to be telling the truth and that was something she could not disregard.

'By the way Light,' Serah snapped, 'you're hanging out with Fang? Like Fang Yun?'

'Ah, yes. We're working on something together.'

'That's so awesome! From what I hear she's really cool and casual.'

'That she is,' Lightning said, remembering a few of the things they had talked about during their midday coffees, 'she's something else.' Smiling, she gazed at her coffee as her cheeks began to heat up. 'We should be done in two to three weeks.'

'I can't wait to see! And I've received your invite by the by!'

Gazing back up as her cheeks had returned to their normal color, Lightning nodded with a grin. She had forgotten that Sasha had promised her to send the invitation to her party this Friday and was pleasantly surprised to hear Serah had received her own. It wouldn't take long for the thirty-six-people invited to give her their answer, and she could not wait to see who would and who would not attend. Hopping that they would all come to her twenty-first birthday, she had begun to understand that some of her friends, especially in the modeling section, could not always attend a celebration. It didn't matter, as long as an excuse was given.

Grinning and sipping on her cup of coffee, Lightning lost her gaze at her surroundings. Looking at the different pedestrians living their lives, she couldn't help but to think about Fang, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Letting it settle in and disappear, she smiled at the catchphrases she had heard always followed by the unusual nickname she had now been used to, the word _sunshine_ bringing out a sparkle in her eyes.

'What are you thinking about so intensively,' Serah teased, 'Lebreau?'

'Ha, yeah,' Lightning said with a wink, 'who else?'

'You really like her, uh?'

Truthfully nodding at the mention of the word _like_ , Lightning looked back at her sister. The notion of living an imperfect lie crept its way back to her brain and with a sigh, Lightning tucked out a new cigarette from her packet under her sister's judgmental gaze.

'Still smoking?'

'Yes, still smoking,' Lightning said. 'Why?'

'Just asking.'

Lightning winced at her sister's dry tone. Smoking had always been a difficult topic, and although knowing why her younger sister disliked seeing her smoke, Lightning had never decided to stop. It was a topic neither of them enjoyed discussing only because their father had lost his life after a ground-breaking lung-cancer trigger by his passion for smoking. Daniel Farron had been smoking ever since the age of fourteen years-old, and at the age of fifty-one, his cancer spread through his entire body and one week later, he was dead.

It had been a difficult sight, especially when it came to visit their dying father in the hospital with not a single hair left on his face, or body for that matter. He had looked weaker than ever and all the blue in his eyes had completely vanished, hours before hitting the dust. They said he had passed peacefully, but Lightning had known it all been a lie. She knew he had died suffering, and at the moment, she had smiled.

Though she hadn't shed a tear during his funeral because of her resent, Lightning had still find it painful to look at their father being buried six-feet underground. _Smoking_ , their mother had said, _it will eat you alive. I hope neither of you will ever start_. Serah had obeyed but Lightning… Lightning had decided otherwise. It had only been six months since she had started, but Serah had counted the weeks, days and minutes she had already lost only by lighting one.

'Anyway,' Lightning said, waving the smoke away with her hand, 'what have you got planning for today?'

'We're gonna grab lunch, and then hit back to the University. What about you?'

'Well,' Lightning said, 'I have to meet with _Gregory_ to discuss pictures we've taken two weeks ago, and then I have to get ready for a shoot. Nothing grandiose, just a few shots for a magazine.'

'That's cool. What do you need to discuss, if I may ask?'

Chuckling, Lightning shook her head. Smiling, she said 'I'd rather not. It's… naughty.'

'That raises more questions than it answers sis!'

'Well you know me, I like to put in just a wee bit of mystery!'

Cackling to herself, Lightning puffed on her cigarette and after releasing the smoke from her lungs, proceeded to finish her cup of coffee. As the urge to urinate crept between her legs, she elegantly stood up from her chair and crashed the burning cigarette in the ashtray, slowly making her way towards the coffee's doors.

Taking in the smell of freshly baked cookies and warm coffee, Lightning let out a smile on her lips. Remembering what Fang had said when she had stayed at her house, the smile widened even more. After all, she had made a point. Lightning was always smiling. She enjoyed the feeling of sensing her cheekbones rising, to feel the small line in the corners of her eyes increasing each time. She had always found it to be beauty marks and had always worked her to possess them. Having seen the same one on her late-mother's face, she had made herself a promise that one day, a smile wouldn't be needed anymore to highlight the contour of her face. And a promise was unbreakable.

Finding the toilet, Lightning was back in front of the mirror with soap between her fingers, glancing at the woman penetrating inside the restroom with a deadpan face, her expression quickly fading away to be replaced by a smile to which Lightning only replied. She oh so enjoyed creating this reaction in people. It was one of her favorite moments doing this job. As the woman looked inside her purse and let out a groan, Lightning couldn't help but to turn around. Throwing a concerned look in her direction, she waited to catch a glimpse of her eyes.

'Are you okay,' she shily asked taking a step forward.

'Yes, but I've run out of tampons and I refuse to get one here, it's too damn expensive.'

Glancing over her shoulder, Lightning said 'I agree.' Looking inside her purse, her smile reappeared and handing out the feminine product, Lightning continued 'us women we got to stick together, don't we?'

Heartily laughing, the young woman reached out her hand, grabbing the tampon between her fingertips. Thanking Lightning, the young model exited the bathroom and before going back outside, decided to pay for the three beverages. After all, Snow was dating her sister now, and petty was not apart of her dictionary. Of course, would she therefore pay for the three of them.

Though reluctantly handing out the twenty-dollar bill and leaving the premises without carrying about the change, Lightning came back to the table and with a glance, said 'I have to run sweetie. I'll see you Friday?'

'Yep, without hesitation.'

Sighing, she gazed at Snow. Trying as hard as she possibly could not to glare at the man, Lightning eventually blurted out 'you can come too,' as if her mouth had been on fire. Soon enough, the young model was back on the street with her purse in hand and her phone at her ear, warning Sasha she was on her way.

* * *

With her arms crossed on her chest and her spine straighter than herself would ever be, Lightning gazed at the pictures. She looked at her naked body, she observed the waves of her hair, she chuckled at the sight of her breasts covered by her hand, and cackled when she noticed her smile, bright and full of life.

Bringing the one where she looked at the ground with a frown closer to her eyes, she playfully brought it to Sasha's attention whose cheek burned like a wild-fire. It was nice to see other people blush than herself. It was also amusing to see the desire she caused in everyone she met. Without uttering a word, Lightning left her eyes gaze back at Gregory, the man still wearing his usual frown.

'So? Have you given it any thought?'

'I'm not sure…' Lightning admitted through her breath, 'I'm not sure I want everyone to see me.'

'Have you checked this?'

Tossing a paper across the table, Lightning barely had the time to snatch it before it fell on the ground. Clearing her throat, she displayed the paper on the table and felt like her eyes had popped out of their globes at the number written. _I'm mistaking. That can't be_.

'Holy fucking shit,' Sasha exclaimed herself, 'six hundred _thousand_ dollars?!'

'That is if Lightning agrees to appear every month on the website.'

'What's the catch', she asked looking up, 'there's always a catch.'

'You'd have to be completely nude and…'

'Not interested.' Pushing the paper away, Lightning crossed her arms back on her chest. 'Not interested at all. I'm not a whore ready to display her fucking pussy for everyone to see.'

Her words had been so dry that she had felt Sasha shiver next to her. However, she kept her ice-cold stare on Gregory, the man shaking his head with disbelief.

'I won't fight you with this Lightning. But that's a hell of an offer.'

'Great,' she sneered back, 'so I would basically be a hooker, that it?' Skirting around the table, she came closer to Gregory. 'Listen to me Gregory, I'm not interested. Those pictures, I agreed because they're soft. But this,' she said louder pointing at the paper, 'that's fucking unacceptable.'

Hanging his hands in the air, Gregory walked pass her and with a snort, gathered back the paper in his case. Turning her back on him, Lightning shut her eyes closed, wondering how any of this had occurred. Who had suddenly decided she would be _okay_ with posing _nude_ in front of _men_ for their _own_ pleasure? The idea puzzled her, and all she could be able to think was that these people were utterly, and completely mental.

'I'll leave you the pictures. Call me if you ever change your mind sweetheart.'

'I'm _not_ your sweetheart,' she muttered under her ragging breath, 'you better remember that.'

Listening to the raucous laughter, she clenched her jaw and fists, waiting for the door to be opened and closed. Letting her head fall, she stared at the ground, the tears preventing her vision from seeing anything else but a blurry hand reaching her own. _This_ was too painful. And Lightning needed to leave.

* * *

Having decided to use her free time for an afternoon run alongside of the beach, it hadn't been long until Lightning was in her sportswear, sneakers batting the sand. With her headset on her ears and her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, she had let the rhythm of her playlist carry her further away, the smell of the nearby ocean filling her nostrils.

With her legs perfectly in motion with her arms, the notion of the freedom creeping around her heart was overwhelming. She felt a peace here, looking at nothing else but the never-ending white texture beneath her feet, the scrambled pieces of rock that had diminished in size being pushed under her feet, thrown away only to be swept by the crashing waves over and over again.

She had felt the need to relax. She had felt the need to move, to run, to scream, but had decided to only allow herself for the two first. Screaming would come later, maybe.

All the memories she had so painfully managed to repress had come back. They had crashed against her core like waves against the shore, and pieces of her had been shattered to the ground. She hadn't known if Gregory's comments had been the trigger of her eternal pain, or if her encounter with Snow, a stranger, had brought up the nasty memories back inside her mind and heart, but all she had known at the time was that she had remembered. And like a movie, the pictures had stormed in and the reason for her hatred for men had been renewed.

Lightning had learned throughout time and meeting with different people that _everyone_ held a piece of darkness inside their chests. She had seen how easy it had been for people to spill out their gusts and cry when she had not been able to tell the truth. _Why do you hate men_ , had she been asked every so often. _I don't know_ , she had always replied with a shrug. But Lightning knew why, and _he_ would always be remembered. _He_ would always have a place inside her mind, not matter how hard she tried to forget. After all, what eight-year-old wouldn't be able to remember the first time a man had touched her?

Striking her like a blade in her chest, Lightning accelerated her tempo. She refused to cry. She refused to feel anything for what had happened. She wanted revenge, she wanted to fight back, to push back everything. She wanted to pretend like nothing had ever happened. _But it happened_ , she said to herself with a growl of rage, _it fucking did happen_!

Pictures rushed inside her mind again, and soon enough, his touch caressed her skin. It had been soft and gentle. His intentions had been pure and simple, but along the way, his hand had wandered. It had first started under her chin to lift her gaze up, the blue eyes he had said to be the most beautiful ones he had seen gazing back at him with a blush. It was so easy to give a kid a compliment, even more when you were Lightning Farron, uncomfortable in your shoes and thinking nothing good about your body.

It had been easy to touch her arm and slide his fingers across her skin. It had been easy to let that hand slide further down and snatch her own in his moist, sweaty palm. It had been so _fucking_ easy to tuck that hand down his pants. It had all been too easy for him when for her, it had been a nightmare.

She had known that yelling might have be the only solution, she had been utterly aware that what _he_ was about to do was wrong but Lightning had been unable to utter a single word. Instead, she had let her entire innocence being pushed away, _taken_ from her as her right hand had touched the hardening muscle, and she had cried. She had cried so hard her own body had been unable to hold onto her shakiness. But with a hand above her mouth, she had cried all of the tears in her body, letting _him_ thrust himself between her palm, she had let _him_ kiss her neck, cheek and lips. She had let _him_ hurt her.

Wiping a tear off her cheek, Lightning kept on running further away, her feet barely touching the ground anymore. If only she had been able to run away at that time. If only she had found the courage to look at him in the eyes and push him away instead of letting him defile her, to let him touch where he hadn't been meant to. But what could've she had done, anyway? She was _eight_ , and in no position to fight. So, she had simply let it happen.

For days after, the pain growing in her mind had been creeping around her heart. For days she had been unable to look at her own reflection in the mirror, disgusted by herself, the color of her eyes having turned red with the number of tears she had shed, fearing to see him again. And seeing him had been forced up upon her, and again, the same thing had happened. Again, she had been led to a room with barely a light, and again she had felt her hand wrapping around him. She had felt his warm breath around her neck and had closed her eyes when she had felt his hands on her body. She had felt it all. And no matter how many years would pass, Lightning would still remember his glazing brown eyes shimmering in her direction, no matter how long, she would still remember the scent of his perfume invading the air.

Because in life, there were simply things you couldn't forget, even if you tried. Some things were simply forever with you. And this was hers.

Stopping in her tracks as her vision became too blurry for her to continue, Lightning turned to the side to face the spreading ocean. Only seeing hints of colors as tears ran down on her cheeks, her heart sank deep within her chest. She wanted to scream so loud, she wanted to stop feeling this hole inside her chest, she wanted to be free of the hate and the pain she felt every time she ever looked up at a man. She wanted to believe she could trust any one of them, but her mind _constantly_ pushed her no to. She knew that men weren't that bad, she knew there were some good ones walking around the Earth at this very second.

But no matter how hard she would try, Lightning knew she would never be able to trust one completely and pushing her hair away with her left hand, she continued to run away wishing that never would she have to stop.

'Hey sunshine, fancy meetin' ya here!'

'You know this was planned, right,' Lightning asked with an arched brow as she stood up from the chair.

'Yeah, yeah. I was bein' funny.'

Placing a kiss on each of her cheeks, Lightning sat back down and motioned Fang to take the seat in front of her. Already drinking from a bottle of wine she had chosen, she glanced over her glass as she picked it up from the table and with a smile, watched as Fang poured herself a drink.

'Sorry I'm late,'' she said shamefacedly, 'I didn't keep track of the time.'

'Don't worry. I've started as you can see' Lightning teased back with a grin. 'I needed _the_ drink.'

'Oh, somethin' the matter?'

Looking at the waiter as the man popped out of the restaurant and outside, Lightning flinched. She flinched so roughly that her glass of wine nearly exploded in her hand, the sight of him standing still with a frown bringing up too many memories for her too handle.

'Light?'

Opening her mouth to speak up, Lightning forgot her words. All she could do was to stare at the beautiful woman in front of her and slowly, all her worries disappeared. She simply took in her sight, her smile, her eyes. She took it all and she adored everything.

'Sorry,' she said, 'I just remembered something.' Breathing in, she elbowed against the table and took a sip of wine, waiting for her heartrate to slow down. 'So, how was your day?'

'Good! We missed ya on the set,' Fang teased. 'We don't have that ball of energy bouncing around all the time.'

'Aw!' Lightning smiled and hid her blush. 'I'm sure you're handling everything just fine.'

'Fanny really likes ya, ya know? She's still convinced you were the right choice.'

'You're not?'

Dropping her smile, Lightning felt her face cringing with sadness. She didn't care about Fanny's opinion, only Fang's mattered. Looking up as her finger touched her chin, she felt her smile immediately coming and stared in her direction. Wanting the touch to last as long as possible, she shrugged and pouted again only to receive a flick at the tip of her nose.

'Hey! That hurt' Lighting complained with her hands covering her nose.

'Right, I didn't know ya were made of sugar!'

Pulling out her tongue, she grabbed her glass back from the table and sipped on her wine, throwing a fake glare at Fang whose smirk only seemed to grow bigger.

'Have you ladies made your choice?'

Flinching once more, she grabbed her thighs and squeezed them hard, closing her eyes as the feeling of being forced to make a direction. She let Fang order for herself and as she breathed in, was able to mutter as fast as possible _'lobster and caviar thank you',_ her eyes locking back on Fang as the smell of the male perfume vanished in the air.

'Ya really can't stand them, uh?'

Cocking her head, Lightning nodded. 'No. it's getting worse actually, but it'll pass. I know it will.'

Semi-convincing herself from that fact, Lightning breathed in. She needed to calm down as fast as possible or her evening would be ruined. Looking at Fang with a smile, she let her eyes travel at the shape of her jaw, strong and firm and let them fly to her lips. For a while, she gazed at the full lines and after realizing what she had been doing, blushed and darted away.

'Aw. That was really gay.'

'What was,' she asked after clearing her throat.

'To look at my lips. Straight women don't do that. And ya did it…For at least a minute.'

'Lies!'

'Na-ah. No lies here! Ya like my lips, I get it!'

Heartily laughing, Lightning rolled her head and covered her mouth with her hand. Surprised as this hand was grabbed, she looked back at Fang with an arched brow, trying to push back the blush already creeping up her face.

'Don't hide your smile. Please.'

'Are you _asking_ or _ordering_ me,' Lightning said with a grin.

'Pleadin'!'

Chuckling, Lightning grabbed a cigarette with her free hand, keeping Fang's tightly in her own and managed with difficulty to light it up before a quick puff. Glancing at their hands, she fainted the smallest of smiles, her heart beating harder as the touch continued.

It was Fang who retrieved her hand after a few more seconds, and feeling like an idiot, Lightning gazed at the ocean. 'I love this sight,' she quietly said, 'it's so beautiful.'

'It is.'

Confused, she glanced at Fang. Noticing she had been looking at her the entire time, Lightning let out the shiest of smile on her lips. 'Shush you.'

'Well I'm only statin' the truth Sunshine!'

'I like it you know, 'Lightning whispered, 'when you're calling me sunshine. It's sweet.'

'Good, I don't intend on stoppin'!

Giggling, Lightning gazed away. Placing the cigarette between her lips, she slowly let the smoke invade her two lungs and just as slowly, blew the smoke away with a smile that, no matter how hard she tried, refused to leave her lips.

Grabbing back her glass, she lifted it up in the air and smiling at Fang, she softly said 'to our friendship', and without another word, gazed back at the sea.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya. If you hadn't noticed I'm a huge fan when it comes to The Real Housewives of New-York, please don't jugde! Also. I'm looking for a beta-reader that might be interested in reading something I've started? I don't have a lot yet, but I would be super appreciative if you'd agree. PM if it might interest you! Thanks to all!**

* * *

Needless to say, Lightning had been distracted the entire morning. Fixating on her birthday party happening the very _next_ day, she had absentmindedly gazed at the camera, completely forgetting about what she was supposed to do. In all fairness, keeping her mind focused on the word _was_ hard. At the time, Lightning could only think about the number of bottles that had been placed on her yacht, hopping that there would be enough Champagne, wine, rum and Tequila for the twenty-four people that had enthusiastically agreed to come and celebrate her big twenty-first. She was stressing over the DJ, hoping he would come up to the task she had given him, and she begged that no unnecessary drama would occur throughout the entire evening since placing twenty-four people on a boat away from the shore could go tremendously wrong if a fight ever was to happen. And all of this was beyond anxious.

Infected with obsessive-compulsive ticks, she had spent her entire Wednesday running her hand through her hair with an inability to eat anything without feeling the need the throw-up every time she had thought about the worst-case scenarios and she had, _obviously_ , been unable to find sleep for more than three hours. Therefore, adding exhaustion to anxiety, Lightning was in no mood to accept any criticism, and the mood on the set had been gloomy.

Currently sitting on a chair crossed legs with a bottle of sparkling water in her hands, Lightning had stared at the floor and ignored everything Fanny had been trying to say, or to _critique_. Yes, she was well-aware that she was not in a good mood, she was aware that it seemed difficult to stand straight without staggering, she completely understood that _her_ behavior had taken a toll on the crew. _Call me selfish_ , she had said, _I'm just fucking exhausted._

'Lightning are you listening to a word I'm saying?'

'Yeah, yeah,' she dismissively answered with a little wave, 'please, continue.'

'You need to get rid of that princess-attitude of yours. We're still here for the next two hours and _you_ need to pull it back together.'

The tone Fanny had used had been filled with resent, and Lightning hadn't been able _not_ to gaze up at her. Flashing her eyes in her direction, she snickered to herself as she stood up from the chair only to walk next to the director without pronouncing a single word. But as her wrists was taken, her anger flared.

'You're not the Queen of your own show Lightning. Get a grip.'

Looking at Fanny and throwing a glare in her direction, Lightning clenched her fist. Letting her gaze drop to the wrist holding her hand, she cracked her neck.

'Could you let go of my wrist', she asked glaring back at Fanny with a semi-polite tone.

'Fine, whatever', Fanny said with her hands in the air, 'do whatever you want.'

This time, it was Fanny that walked pass her, knowingly pushing her on the shoulder. Grunting at the contact and barely being able to keep steady on her heels, she felt yet another hand grabbing her by the arm and ready to glare at the responsible person, her expressions softened.

Readjusting the black dress, she kept her gaze on Fang trying to throw her most charming smile but failed in the task. She too, was annoyed, and Lightning hated it.

'Light what's goin' on? I've never seen ya like that,' Fang said taking a seat, her fingers intertwining on the nape of her neck.

'I'm just…tired. And stressed. I react harshly when I'm like that. I'm…' she swallowed her saliva, the word feeling wrong under her tongue. 'Sorry.'

'I'm not the one ya have to apologize for,' Fang said with her hands back on her thighs. 'It's to her.'

Following where the finger was now pointing at, Lightning's eyes stopped on the short-haired woman. Sighing and hanging her head to the side, she observed the director giving new directions to the camera men, their eyes locking for only a few seconds. The amount of rage being held in her hazel eyes was unnerving, and Lightning who usually had no troubles holding a stare had only been able to dart away.

Running her hand through her hair, she slowly walked in Fanny's direction, hands clasped behind her back. Hesitantly, she waited on the side for the conversation to come to an end, disliking the reaction of her body. Her stomach began to churn, and her palms suddenly felt sweaty. _Oh anxiety, shut the fuck up and leave me alone._ Shaking her head, she felt like relaxing, a sentiment lasting a quarter of a second as Fanny spoke up, the same dry tone icing her veins.

'What,' she asked with crossed arms.

'I wanted to say…Sorry. For how I acted today.'

Sighing to herself, Fanny unfolded her arms and shoved her hands in her pockets. Letting out a slight smile, she waited to catch a glimpse of Lightning's eyes again before speaking up. 'Listen Light, I know we've been asking a lot of you. I know you're working a lot on the side for the shoots and everything else, but I really need your unflagging attention. All I'm asking is that for the…two remaining hours,' she said after glancing at her watch, 'you give it you all. Can you do that for me? _Please?'_

Smiling, Lightning nodded in approval. Watching as Fanny moved away, she however stood still in the corner of the room and rubbed her temples with her index-fingers, a loud sigh escaping her throat. This day had felt like she couldn't even catch a breath and relax. Everyone had been demanding, everyone had talked to her about some nonsense she didn't even care about. All she wanted to do was to go home, tuck herself to bed and wake up the next day to recharge her inner batteries.

But no matter what, people had decided to pick _today_ to pester her, and the more the hours passed, the worst it got. And the following events were the exact proof of that. Still standing still and gazing at the floor, as Lightning lifted her head up, her eyes immediately stumbled with the ones of a man. Possibly good-looking for any straight girl, he was looking at her with a shy smile that only send shivers down her spine, her jaw strongly setting as her teeth gritted. As a reflex, she took a step back as the man approached, her back hitting the surface of the wall. Her reaction was instantaneous but as she felt her breath suddenly increasing, Lightning turned to the side and escaped the space that had started to asphyxiate her, a hand on her heart counting every pounding.

With a heartrate going through the roof, she snatched the bottle of water she had previously placed on the chair and chugged down the entire beverage, calmly controlling her every breath. Catching Fang's gaze in the room arching a brow in her direction and looking genuinely concerned for her well-being, Lightning only raised a finger in the air and shook her head from side to side. She needed to control this _alone_.

She had felt a spike in her anxiety ever since her jogging session on the beach on Monday afternoon. She had managed for more than ten years to keep everything under wraps, but as the images had viciously rushed back to her mind, the growing fear she had once stopped had been unlocked. Now, even walking on the street seemed sometimes difficult, always surrounding herself with either friends or girlfriend to accompany her but there were times Lightning had _been_ alone, and every time a man had taken a step in her direction without having any intention whatsoever and her breath had stopped.

Knowing this feeling could only be fought by taking actions, she was still unable to look at a man's eyes without hearing the words _those eyes…I could look at them forever,_ and it haunted her more than she cared to truly admit.

'I'm sorry Miss Farron?'

Her heart began to hurt at the sound of the masculine voice, and her eyes popped out of their globes. Sucking in the air between her lungs, she slowly turned around and stared deadpan at a member of the group, the drummer if her memory served her correctly.

Looking more concerned as the seconds passed, her fainted a small smile and handed out a lipstick in her direction, her eyes darting to the object back to the man with an increasing tempo of her heart.

'This fell from your dress,' he said with a smile, 'I just wanted to bring it back to you.'

'Oh.'

Bringing out her ghostly hand she had clenched for an entire minute, Lightning stretched out her fingers and without touching his skin, grabbed the lipstick back from his palm. Placing it back inside her purse, she went on back to ignore the man, tiptoeing away from his location as far as humanly possible.

'Alright are we ready,' Fanny asked glancing at Lightning.

'Yeah. Yes, we are.'

'Great. Lightning get in position then!'

Nodding, she dropped her purse next to her chair and slowly marched in the middle of the room. The scene they needed to film was longer than the other one's they had filmed before. Lightning was alone, sitting on a couch and in front of a burning fire. Legs crossed and a glass of scotch in hand, she was supposed to sip, look at the fire, sip again before placing the glass on the table without ever tearing her eyes away from the burning flames.

Then she was meant to stand up from the couch, run a hand through her hair and make her way to the kitchen with slumped shoulders, the facial expression of her face, painful and disappointed needing to be the top of her act. Needing to be convincing, she had prepared herself and had rehearsed alone in her house and had even sked Sasha to judge her behavior. And Sasha had approved, and whoever had Sasha's approval was good to go.

Sitting on the sofa, Lightning patiently waited for the camera to roll and immediately, she got into character. With a face covered with pain, she brought the glass to her lips and let the glass fall back on her knee, her eyes blankly staring at the fake fireplace before her eyes. Breathing in extremely slowly, she brought the glass back to her lips and managed to place it on the table standing before her without ever tearing her gaze away from the absence of flames.

As the camera kept rolling, Lightning knew this was her cue. Standing up from the rather uncomfortable sofa, she straightened out the back of her dress and slowly, she made her way towards the kitchen with her gaze on the floor, her eyes never betraying the emotion she had been asked to show. As she entered the kitchen, Lightning glanced to the right and left and elbowing on the counter of the kitchen with her hands running through her hair, as and asked, she cried on command.

Slouching her shoulders, her body began to shudder inside the kitchen and Fang was only able to stare. Looking at Lightning with round eyes, she wondered if her cried had been an act, or a reality she would never care to admit. It seemed to truthful for it to be _all_ an act, and as the director cried out _cut_ , Lightning immediately lifted her head up and with a smile, wiped the tears away from her face. _Impressive_.

'That was really good. Let's do one more but I suggest you go see the makeup artist before.'

As a blush crept on her cheeks, Lightning trotted around in direction of the woman waiting with a brush in her hand and Fang chuckled under her breath. Her feelings for Lightning she had once believed to be completely platonic had morphed into something she hadn't appreciated. It wasn't love, of that she was sure, but every time those blue eyes were gazing in her direction, Fang felt something happening inside her chest, making it harder and harder to look in her direction.

They hadn't filmed the one scene she had been waiting, where they would both kiss on the couch and literally make out for everyone to see, but for some reason, the more they waited, the better it was. Though crying for release, she had decided that getting rid of her feelings before kissing her with her entire body between her legs was the best thing to do. But until now, nothing had seemed to change. Fang had enamored herself for Lightning in a short amount of the time, and the feeling was displeasing.

Lightning was arching a brow at Fang. She had noticed that something seemed wrong, but as she stared at her looking at the floor with her hands on her hips, she had understood that something _was_ definitely wrong. Not being a pusher and hating to invade someone's privacy when it wasn't her problem, she had decided to leave her alone, thinking that whenever Fang wanted to share something with her, she was welcomed too. After all, they were friends. _A friend you want to undress, but a friend nonetheless I suppose_.

Sighing to herself, she scrutinized the entire room and felt her head being slightly held by a delicate hand, a sheepish smile came to her face. 'Sorry,' she muttered at the make-up artist.

'Don't worry, I just wouldn't want to ruin you.'

Chuckling, she left her finish her task without blinking an eye and standing up, Lightning went back to the couch. Sitting back down, she slightly changed her position and gazed at Fang, the young singer running her hands on her face as she stared at the camera, pointing out a few things to Fanny, things she had seemed to be agreeing on. As they both gazed back up at Lightning, she cocked her head one inch to the side and watched as Fanny kneeled in front of her.

'When you're placing the glass on the table, could you stay seated just a bit longer? It would be good if you could stare away,' Fanny said as Lightning obeyed, 'and then stand up.'

'Yeah, sure!'

Smiling, everyone in the room stopped what they had been doing and began to search for the ringing phone in the room. As she recognized the tone, Lightning's face reddened and with a hand on her face, came closer to her purse to retrieve the ringing phone. A smile appeared on the corner of her lips at the sight of Lebreau's name and sending an automatic message as a response, she turned her phone off and came back to the couch.

Though still bothered by her own feelings towards Lebreau, or more truthfully, the _lack off_ feelings, it had been getting better. For the past three days, Skyler had been staying with her at the house during the mornings before going to school, and had always come back around seven post-meridiem, ready for a romantic dinner cooked by Lightning's private chef. They had giggled, they had laughed, and they had learned more about one another by sharing secrets they hadn't confessed to many people. She had learned that Lebreau had been born in France but that both of her parents were British, an information that had surprised Lightning to the point of dropping her wine-filled glass to the ground in a loud crash. _You have not a hint of accent_ , Lightning had told her after gathering the broken glass, _how is that possible?_ Lebreau had shrugged as a response, and after clearing her throat, had spoken with one of the poshest accent she had ever heard. _Oh. I get_ , Lightning had answered back with a laugh _, you don't want to be mistaken for a snob_.

Chuckling at the memory, Lightning winced at the glare Fanny was throwing in her direction. Cooling down again, she waited for the camera to roll, her thoughts still deeply focused on Lebreau.

She had no idea where this relationship was going. She couldn't tell if this would transform into a friendship, which seemed a better fit to her mind, but hadn't managed to find the courage to have this difficult conversation with Skyler. Breaking her heart wasn't something she held dear to her heart and hurting her in any way was something she resented like a deadly disease. But she also knew that lying was not the right course of action.

Needing to find a way to bring out the topic, Lightning suddenly decided mid-scene to simply call and invite her for a drink in a coffee-shop she knew would be away from any camera after the scene was over, and felt her heart begin to race. Keeping her focus on the scene, she entered the kitchen again and after darting at the sides of the room, worry had gained over her emotions. And she knew that worriedness was not required. Trying to mimic pain, she went on with the scene and after elbowing back on the counter, let out the same tears that before.

'Cut! Okay. We need another one because Light you weren't…'

'I know,' she admitted, 'I know.'

With a sigh, she made her way back towards the makeup artist and once more, let the brush caress her face.

* * *

Her palms were sweaty, and her face was oily-like looking. Stressed, nervous and even more exhausted than only hours before, Lightning was fidgeting at the edge of her seat, her leg relentlessly moving, her heel slamming the ground second after second.

Straightening her spine, Lightning was unable to keep her gaze locked on anything. Her brain was going on overload, and her heart had been pounding harder inside her chest minute after minute. And when she heard a quiet, sweet voice, her heart simply stopped. Looking up at Skyler throwing a loving smile on her direction, Lightning couldn't reciprocate. Not asking for a kiss, Skyler sat down without a word, her brows knitting with concern.

'Are you okay Light?'

'Erm,' she said looking away, 'I need to… I need to talk to you about something.'

Swallowing hard, Lightning finally found the strength to look at her soon-to-be ex-girlfriend in the eye, and the more she gazed, the harder it became to find the appropriate words. As her hand was taken and her fingers intertwined with Skyler's, the situation became so uncomfortable that her chest and face blushed crimson red, and after a deep breath, she simply threw herself into the lion's den.

'I…,' swallowing again, she shook her head to gather back her thoughts. 'Listen. I think that I don't want to…What I mean is…'sighing, she snapped 'damn it!'

'Calm down Light, take your time. But I feel like I know where this is going,' Skyler said with a cool and soft tone. 'I might be mistaken but that rarely happens.'

She chuckled. She didn't deserve her kindness, and especially not now. Keeping her tears in check, Lightning continued, 'Listen. I really like you. I love hanging out with you, I think you're interesting, fun, polite and…really pretty but… I just don't…'

'You don't see it going anywhere?'

'Yeah…

Lifting her head up as she had painfully stared at her hand, Lightning gazed at Lebreau. As her hand wiped a tear she hadn't felt rolling on her cheek, all Lightning saw was compassion. A true compassion.

'Listen Light. I know you've got a lot going on, and I like you as well. But I knew this wouldn't go anywhere anyway. I saw how you looked at your agent, and I might be wrong but it's clear you love her.' Wincing, Lightning darted away. 'Or loved her. But really, it's okay.'

'But then…why did you date me in the first place?'

'And miss a chance to date you? No way!'

Heartily laughing, Lightning wiped her face from the tears that had run down on their own, sniffling and grabbing a tissue being handed to her. Lebreau was a genuinely good person and this added even more proof to what she had already believed to be true. She didn't hold a grudge, she wasn't mad or least, did not look like she was. She was a friend, someone Lightning hopped would stay by her side.

'But…Do you still want to be friends?'

She felt like a child at her own words and rolling her eyes she sighed. 'Of course,' Lebreau then said with a soft smile, 'I'm here whenever you want a drink, fuck…' she winked, 'or simply _talk.'_

Throwing an appreciative smile after a chuckle, Lightning stretched out her arms and grabbed Lebreau on a tight hug. Resting her head on her shoulder, she kept her eyes closed but knew a smile was on her lips. Feeling her warm body pressed against hers, she continued hugging her friend, her hand brushing her back. Pulling away, she sniffed and smiled once more, quickly gazing at the hazel-colored eyes.

'Light are you okay? I didn't want to say anything before but friend to friend, how are you feeling?'

'I'm good. Really. I have a lot of shit on my mind but…it'll go away.'

'Well…If you ever want,' Lebreau said pulling out a paper, 'my office is now officially open!'

'You're kidding me! That' fantastic! Why didn't you say anything,' Lightning asked glancing at the paper.

'Like I said I saw there was something bothering you and I didn't want to bother you with it.'

'You wouldn't have bothered me Sky', really not.'

Nodding at the brunette, Lightning clicked her fingers together at the sight of a waitress exiting the inside of the coffee. Asking for a bottle of Champagne, Skyler couldn't have helped but to let out a loud laugh filled with life, a sound Lightning knew she would miss not to hear every day. But then, a frown crossed her features. Had she just offered her to come and see her office…as a _patient_?

'You want me to be your patient?'

'Well you wouldn't pay, but if something's bothering you…Maybe I might help.'

Sighing, Lightning replied 'it's nice. But I don't think you could.' Waving a hand in the air and putting the conversation to an end, Lightning's smile returned. 'Are you still coming tomorrow?'

'Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world.'

Grinning as the cork of the Champagne popped in the air, the two women simultaneously grabbed their drinks and clicking them together, Lightning said 'to our friendship.'

'To our friendship Light.'

* * *

' _You broke up with her?'_ Nodding to the phone, Lightning poured her empty glass of wine and snatched an olive from the bowl, waiting to retrieve the core before giving Anna an answer.

'Yeah, earlier today…I just wasn't feeling it, you know?' Snatching the glass from the counter, she cautiously made her way outside and after placing the wine next to the pool, she sat down with her feet in the water. 'But she took it so well. She's really awesome.'

' _Then why did you break-up with her you tool?'_

Heartily laughing, Lightning spit out some of the wine she hadn't had the time to swallow. Coughing and feeling like dying, she kept on laughing as Anna joined in, the sound of her best-friend's laugh in her left ear making the situation ever funnier. For a good two minutes, the two women only laughed and laughed. Whenever one started a new sentence, they couldn't hold-up their laughter from exploding in the air.

'Phew,' Lightning managed to say whilst wiping a tear away, 'that was intense.'

' _Tell me about it! But in all honesty, why'd you break-up?'_

Sighing, Lightning ran a hand through her wet hair and said 'because it was all forced you know? I like Lebreau as a friend, an amazing friend. But…that's all.'

' _Ah, you weren't in love or anything?'_

'Yes, exactly!'

' _Yeah I understand. You'd hurt both of you by waiting. You did the right thing, Light.'_

She smiled to herself and gazed away. Slightly leaning back with her right hand on the ground, Lightning looked at the vast ocean the moon managed to light up from the cloudless sky, and gazing up, she stared at the stars in the sky. Hundreds, thousands, she looked at them all whilst relentlessly talking with her best-friend, catching up and preparing for the next day's event. Because of course, if one thing had been stuck in her mind all day long had been the celebration of her birthday.

Anna had already decided to join her at six pm sharp, ready to help and prepare the evening that would start at seven-thirty, the boat then leaving the docks. The boat would travel for a few minutes and once the city would be out of line of sight, the engines would stop, and everything would be able to properly begin. She was so excited to celebrate, words weren't enough to express it.

' _Hey, how's it going with Fang by the way?_ '

'Well she should be there tomorrow,' Lightning slowly said with a smile.

' _You're fucking shitting me Farron. And you didn't fucking tell me? God you're the worst!'_

'Hey, hey, no need to be _that_ rude,' Lightning said after a sip of white wine.

' _Sorry, I was doing my Bethenny._ '

'Oh, where are you at?'

' _Season 8, like you! Wanna watch one on the phone?'_

'Uh, yes!'

Already retrieving her feet from the lukewarm water, Lightning snatched her glass back from the ground and sauntered in direction of the bright living-room. Placing the glass on the table, she snatched the remote controller from the couch and immediately went back towards the kitchen, perching on the counter and reaching out for the bottle as Anna kept on talking about the show.

Finally reaching for the bottle, Lightning swiftly turned back around and before going back to the living-room, she got on her toes and checked if her ashtray had been where it was supposed to be. Nodding to herself, she bounced towards the couch and after placing the bottle next to the glass, she sluggishly sat down at the edge of the couch. Turning the TV on, she waited for the episode of the eighth season to load and with an arched brow, wondered which episode she had stopped at.

Quickly looking at the resumes of the first episodes and answering with her special _uh-uh_ at whatever Anna had been rambling about, a bright grin plastered on her face. _Episode four, that's it_! Expectantly waiting for Anna to be done, Lightning simply pressed on the remote-controller and the episode started to her greatest pleasure.

' _You're not even waiting for me!'_

'You were talking to much,' Lightning snorted in return.

' _Do you like that new girl…Jules?'_

'No, not at all. It's only been four episodes but…wait it's starting!'

Stopping the conversation, Lightning turned the speaker on and rested the phone on the arm of the couch. Reaching out for her wine, she frowned at Jules's nasty comments but for once, kept her own to herself. Anna was enough of a talker to express whatever she felt for the two of them. Snickering as the seven housewives stood in their underwear, Lightning swallowed a mouthful of her wine and chocked at yet another comment.

' _Ew! Jules and Carole!'_

'Right? Goosebumps, I'm disgusted.'

Hearing a chuckle from the phone, Lightning knowingly smiled as her face looked back at the TV, her glass back to her lips and exploded into a fit of laughter when Bethenny Frankel opened up her mouth. God did she love her. She knew that the show was one of the lowest and least intelligent on Earth, but she simply enjoyed it too much. These women were all so awful in their own way than streaming more than ten episodes in a row had never felt like a problem. An addiction maybe, but addictions weren't necessarily a problem.

With her eyes on her TV for the next hour and half, as a single episode had _not_ been enough, Lightning had managed to finish her bottle of wine right after having hung-up the phone with Anna. Still on the couch, she stretched her arms and back, glancing at her finger and toe-nails she would have to treat before attending to her own party. She was the one everyone would look, coming looking like a slop was therefore _not_ an option. Sighing at the time she would then need, she felt proud for having taken all the necessary steps to make sure _everything_ would goo perfectly.

Starting with a mani-pedi at ten in the morning, Lightning would then proceed with a new shade of pink on her hair followed by a brushing. Right after, and nearly hitting the two-pm line, she would wait for her fashion designer to bring out some dresses she would try on before deciding with the precious help of Sasha, before buying one…or more. It would depend on her mood, and on what Gabrielle would offer her. Then, Lightning would wait for the car in front of her house and would, accompanied by Anna and Sasha, head to the docks and start preparing everything for the party meaning checking the number of bottles, giving orders to the chefs and cooks, make a few last minutes arrangements with the DJ and would only _then_ be able to receive her guests, welcoming each of them with a little bag of treats, underwear and bottle of perfume as a thank-you gift.

Clapping her hands together in anticipation, Lightning lifted herself off the couch and slowly made her way towards her library. Letting the smell of old and new books fill her nostrils, she cautiously turned on the fire-place, ready to continue her book with a dazzling smile, excitement skyrocketing in her mind, and heart.


End file.
